Opening Statement of Congressman Dan Burton,

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere

Hearing of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere

Title: “U.S. Obligations under the Merida Initiative”

February 7, 2008

I am pleased that the Chairman has called this second hearing to further examine the Administration’s Merida Initiative to help Mexico and Central America tackle our shared problems with illicit drugs and organized crime. With Mexican cartels alone earning roughly 13.8 billion dollars annually from illicit drug sales, the problem is obvious. The solution, I fervently hope, is the Merida Initiative.

Mexico, Central America and the United States have a joint responsibility to resolve this common and difficult challenge. Important suggestions have been made over the past few months to strengthen the current plan. For example, some have called for more assistance for Central America; and it is my understanding that an increase in funding efforts to fight drugs in Central American nations will occur in time. Even with the improvements, not all parties are content with the plan, including myself. I would personally like to see the plan focus more attention on immigration on our southern border. I believe tackling the illicit drug trafficking and organized crime elements along our southern border by improving security and restoring the rule of law can significantly help to stabilize the current and very unsatisfactory illegal immigration crisis in this country. I am interested in hearing my colleague’s thoughts and suggestions for changes or improvements to the current plan. To that end, I respectfully ask Unanimous Consent to include Full Committee Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s January 3^rd letter to the Administration recommending certain changes to the Merida Initiative be made part of the official hearing record.

Despite some reservations about the Initiative, I believe that we must move forward now rather than wait for the perfect plan. We have seen the impact of Mexico’s recent and impressive action to disrupt elements of the intricate drug networks through direct confrontation. That experience tells us that timing is of the essence. The Calderón government in Mexico has turned to us for help, giving us an historic opportunity. Together we are already making major progress with extraditions of Mexican nationals to the U.S. and massive, unprecedented seizures of illicit drugs and cash, once undreamed of just a few short years ago.

We should not lose the momentum. It is time for this Congress to provide the emergency funds requested by the Administration for this initiative. We need to send a clear and unambiguous message not only to the drug dealers that we will find and stop you, but to our Mexican and Central America friends, that we are in this struggle together, and we will help bolster their efforts to fight the deeply rooted gangs and drug cartels. It is time to put up or shut up, and I hope today’s hearing contributes to that effort.

I would like to thank our all of our witnesses for being here today, and I look forward to hearing their views of how to pursue the most effective policies to finally bring an end to the deadly drug trade.