[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 72 (Friday, June 5, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4231-H4232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      AMERICA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH MEXICO IN THE WAR AGAINST DRUGS

  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 again this afternoon 
to talk about the subject of the problem of illegal narcotics, and in 
particular this afternoon, to address the problem relating to our 
relations with Mexico and Mexico's effort in our war on drugs.
  As Members may recall, the Clinton administration certified Mexico 
recently as cooperating in our war on drugs. I really want to call to 
the House's attention the current situation with Mexico, which is 
reaching disastrous proportions. Just today there is information that 
our United States agents are warned of Mexican retaliation as a result 
of their participation in a sting operation in Mexico.
  I have followed this effort of the United States to take action in 
Mexico in a money laundering and illegal narcotics operation within the 
confines of Mexico. I pulled up some of the headlines, which are quite 
revealing.
  This one is the week of May 20. It says, ``Reno Lauds Mexico for Help 
with Probe. Customs Targeting Drug Money Bankers.''
  In this sting operation the Attorney General said, ``Law enforcement 
officials in Mexico have promised to cooperate in a massive U.S. 
Customs Service money laundering investigation aimed at Mexico banks.''
  Then we see another headline a few days later, ``Mexico Promises 
Probe of Bankers Indicted for Laundering.'' This is the headline on May 
20; again, cooperation.
  Then we find a sudden turn of events, that in fact Mexico is not 
cooperating. The headlines from the Washington Post on May 23 say 
``Zedillo,'' the Mexican President, ``Blasts U.S. Undercover Drug 
Sting.'' He condemned the use of U.S. agents in that operation.
  Then we saw an apology in another headline, ``Clinton Regrets Keeping 
Sting Secret.''
  Then we find out that the sting was not secret, that in fact the 
Mexicans knew about it and were told about it in advance. The Wall 
Street Journal reports, ``Bank Bust Stings U.S.-Mexico Relations.''
  The latest in today's newspaper, as I said when I began, is ``U.S. 
Agents Warned of Mexican Retaliation.''
  Mr. Speaker, this is the country we certified as cooperating. This is 
the country that the Attorney General praised for cooperating in this 
sting.
  This is what is reported in today's paper: ``The United States Drug 
Enforcement Administration has pulled its agents out of Tijuana, and 
the Justice Department is warning American

[[Page H4232]]

lawmen on both sides of the 2,000-mile long Mexican border to protect 
themselves more than ever. The new threat they face is not violence 
from narcotics traffickers, but hostility from their law enforcement 
counterparts in the Mexican Federal judicial police.''
  This is an incredible state of affairs. Here we have incredible 
amounts of drugs coming in from Mexico. Nearly 50 percent of all the 
hard drugs in the United States reaching our cities and our streets, 
our communities and our schools and our children, is coming in from 
Mexico, and a policy totally in disarray.
  This is a matter that requires the investigation and oversight of 
this Congress, the attention of this administration, and should be 
investigated to its fullest, to find out what is really going on 
between the United States and Mexico in the war on drugs.
  Are our agents now under attack? Are our agents going to be expelled? 
What is this administration doing about the country that we have 
helped, we have loaned money to, we have made a trading partner, and 
then now they are condemning us and not cooperating in this effort to 
bring corruption, to bring drug trafficking, to a halt on both sides of 
the border?

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