[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3031-S3032]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself and Mrs. Hutchison):
  S. 2867. A bill to authorize additional resources to identify and 
eliminate illicit sources of firearms smuggled into Mexico for use by 
violent drug trafficking organizations, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Southwest 
Border Violence Reduction Act. This legislation is aimed at addressing 
the drug-related violence that has plagued parts of Mexico and ensuring 
that we dedicate the resources necessary to stop the flow of weapons 
that help fuel this violence.
  In the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which shares a border with New 
Mexico, there have been over 200 killings

[[Page S3032]]

since the beginning of 2008, an increase of about 100 percent over the 
previous year. This violence, which is mostly perpetrated by 
international drug trafficking organizations, impacts the well-being 
and safety of communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
  Recently it was reported that the entire police force in Palomas, a 
Mexican town just across the border from Columbus, New Mexico, resigned 
after repeated threats from drug traffickers. The Chief of Police fled 
to the United States to seek asylum. On another recent occasion, the 
Columbus Port of Entry was shut down after there were several killings 
nearby. As a result, American school children who commute back and 
forth over the border had to receive a police escort. And just 
yesterday, the Department of State renewed a travel advisory warning of 
the ongoing violence.
  I have met with Mexico's Ambassador, Foreign Minister, and Attorney 
General to raise serious concerns about the level of violence in the 
region and to discuss ways to address this problem. I am pleased that 
the Government of Mexico understands the gravity of this situation and 
I appreciate Mexico's response in sending 2,000 troops to Chihuahua to 
bring it under control. However, both Mexican and U.S. law enforcement 
officials have stressed the need to more aggressively target the 
criminal enterprises that are supplying weapons to drug cartels. 
According to ATF, about 90 percent of the firearms recovered in Mexico 
are trafficked from the United States because high-powered weapons are 
much easier to purchase in the U.S. than in Mexico.
  The drug cartels operating along the border smuggle illegal narcotics 
into the United States and use revenue derived from the drug trade to 
purchase the firearms they need to maintain control over drug 
trafficking routes. According to ATF, about 90 percent of the firearms 
recovered in Mexico originate from sources within the United States 
because high-powered weapons, such as M-50s, are much easier to 
purchase in the United States than in Mexico. The ability to fight drug 
traffickers is significantly hampered by the fact that these violent 
groups use smuggled weapons to assassinate military and police 
officials, murder rival members of drug organizations, and kill 
innocent civilians.
  In order to reduce violence in the region and disrupt the drug trade, 
it is essential that we aggressively work to prevent drug trafficking 
organizations operating in Mexico from obtaining these weapons. This 
effort requires that additional resources be allocated to target 
weapons trafficking networks supplying these arms and enhanced 
international cooperation in tracing the sources of weapons seized in 
Mexico.
  To this end, the legislation I am introducing today would authorize 
additional resources to expand a successful ATF initiative, Project 
Gunrunner, which is aimed at combating arms smuggling. The bill would 
also increase the training and support of Mexican law enforcement in 
investigating firearms trafficking cases.
  Specifically, the legislation would enable ATF to hire, train, and 
deploy an additional 80 special agents to establish and support seven 
more Project Gunrunner Teams that are solely devoted to disrupting 
firearm trafficking organizations smuggling weapons into Mexico. The 
bill also would make it possible for ATF to place at least 12 
additional special agents in Mexico to support Mexican law enforcement 
in tracing seized firearms. Two Special Agents could be assigned to 
U.S. Consulates throughout the border region, Guadalajara, Chihuahua, 
Matamoros, Hermosillo, Tijuana, and Mazatlan, in conjunction with 
existing DEA offices. Funds would cover salaries, protective and 
investigative equipment, and other costs associated with maintaining a 
foreign presence. And lastly, the legislation would significantly 
increase ATF efforts to assist and train Mexican law enforcement 
officers with weapons trafficking investigations. The bill authorizes 
$24.5 million for each fiscal year 2009 and 2010 to implement this Act.
  I strongly believe that it is essential that the U.S. enhance its 
efforts to stop the flow of weapons being trafficked into Mexico, and I 
hope my colleagues will join me in this effort.

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