[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 31 (Wednesday, March 12, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page H933]]



         CERTIFICATION REGARDING FOREIGN ASSISTANCE FOR MEXICO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Mica] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I come before the House tonight, before an 
important vote tomorrow, and that vote tomorrow is the question of 
whether the Congress will vote in fact to decertify Mexico and override 
the certification granted by this administration and this President.
  Certification, and as a staffer some years ago in the other body, I 
had the opportunity to work on drafting that certification legislation, 
is predicated on several factors. One is enforcement and eradication 
and stopping drugs at their source. The other is the cooperative effort 
of a nation. Then there are certain sanctions and penalties that we 
impose on countries that do not cooperate, and we either certify them 
or decertify them.
  Tomorrow this Congress will decide on whether we agree with the 
administration, and I think they made a grave error and a grave 
mistake. If we take a few minutes and examine the record, look at what 
has happened with drug flow into the United States, and let us look at 
heroin, let us look at cocaine, let us look at methamphetamines.
  Just a few years ago, most of the heroin came in in very small 
amounts from Mexico and it was a brown heroin. Today 30 percent of all 
the heroin coming into the United States is coming in from Mexico. 
Cocaine, there is no cocaine to my knowledge produced in Mexico. Most 
of it is produced in Bolivia and Peru, a little bit in Colombia. But 70 
percent of all cocaine coming into the United States, and this is by 
DEA's estimates, is now coming in from Mexico.
  Eighty percent of all the marijuana coming into the United States is 
coming in from Mexico. And methamphetamines, which I spoke of, from mid 
1993 to early 1995 Mexican traffickers reportedly produced, and last 
year, produced 150 tons of methamphetamine, or speed, coming into the 
United States from that country.
  So the record has gotten worse and worse and worse, of drug 
eradication. The problem is getting greater and greater. What is worse 
for our country and our children and our neighborhoods and our 
communities is, it is affecting our children. Heroin use is up by 
teenagers dramatically. Emergency room visits are also up.
  And then we look at the question of whether we should certify Mexico 
based on cooperation. We asked Mexico to do some of the following 
things, and let me say in every one of these areas they have dragged 
their feet or failed to comply with our request.
  First, agree to extradition. You will hear them say they extradited 
16 people. That is false. Only 3 have been extradited according to our 
requests and only one who had some record of involvement with drugs, 
and he was extradited because he had dual citizenship, both American 
and Mexican. Failed on extradition.
  Failed to allow our DEA to protect themselves with firearms. Failed 
to allow 20 more DEA agents to be placed in Mexico. Failed to share 
intelligence with the United States. Failed to install antidrug radars 
in the south of Mexico. Failed to comply or put together a permanent 
maritime pact. And they failed to arrest and prosecute drug traffickers 
and drug money in their own country and really enforce their new 
laundering money laws.
  They have failed to take concrete steps to comply. So by no measure 
do they deserve certification.
  Mr. Speaker, tomorrow I urge my colleagues to come to the floor. 
Trade is important with Mexico, cooperation is important with Mexico. 
They are our southern neighbor and an important part of this 
hemisphere. But when their actions, their lack of cooperation is 
destroying our schools, our children's future, our neighborhoods and 
our communities, this Congress must act in a responsible manner to stop 
that action against us by our neighbors.
  Mr. Speaker, tomorrow we must come as a Congress and send a very 
clear message to Mexico, not based on finance or business but on the 
future of this country and, again, our children and what is happening.
  The alternative is what? We have almost 2 million Americans in jail. 
Seventy percent of the people in our prisons and penal facilities are 
there because of drug-related convictions. Where is that narcotic 
coming from, those illegal drugs coming from? They are coming from, I 
submit, and we have proved here, Mexico. We must send this message and 
we must do it as a united Congress tomorrow.

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