[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11455]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           PROTECT AMERICAN FAMILIES FROM MEXICAN DRUG GANGS

  (Mr. KIRK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, the New York Times reports that our Mexican 
allies are now engaged in a life-or-death struggle against massive drug 
cartels. These cartels assassinated the Mexican FBI Director and now 
threaten the President's life. President Calderon has asked us for 
help, and for the safety and security of American families, we must.
  If you see a red star on this map, it means that our Drug Enforcement 
Agency says that a Mexican drug gang is operating in your congressional 
district. If you see a green star, like in Las Vegas, Chicago, San 
Francisco, it means the DEA knows that the drug gangs have a command-
and-control center in your congressional district.
  Last month the gangs of Mexico topped their murder of hundreds of 
Mexican police officers with a new practice: beheading people and 
leaving their heads in coolers. It would be naive to think that such 
violence remains just south of our border.
  That's why Congress should fully fund the Merida Law Enforcement 
Initiative.

                          ____________________