Merida Initiative: Proposed U.S. Anticrime and Counterdrug Assistance for Mexico and Central America

Merida Initiative: U.S. Anticrime and
Counterdrug Assistance for Mexico and
Central America
Colleen W. Cook and Clare Ribando Seelke
Analysts in Latin American Affairs
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
In October 2007, the United States and Mexico announced the Mérida Initiative,
a multi-year proposal for $1.4 billion in U.S. assistance to Mexico and Central America
aimed at combating drug trafficking, gangs, and organized crime. On May 14, 2008, the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a bill, H.R. 6028 (Berman), which
would authorize $1.6 billion for the Initiative from FY2008 through FY2010. The Bush
Administration requested $500 million for Mexico and $50 million for Central
American countries in its FY2008 supplemental appropriations request. In late June
2008, Congress appropriated $465 million in FY2008 and FY2009 supplemental
assistance for Mexico and Central America in the FY2008 Supplemental Appropriations
Act, H.R. 2642 (P.L. 110-252). In the act, Mexico receives $352 million in FY2008
supplemental assistance and $48 million in FY2009 bridge fund supplemental
assistance, while Central America, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic receive $65
million in FY2008 supplemental assistance. The Administration has requested an
additional $450 million for Mexico and $100 million for the Central American countries
under the Mérida Initiative in its FY2009 budget request. This report will be updated.
See also: CRS Report RL32724, Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress and CRS
Report RL34112, Gangs in Central America.
Background
The Mérida Initiative, named for the location of a March 2007 meeting between
Presidents George W. Bush and Felipe Calderón of Mexico, expands bilateral and
regional cooperation to combat drug trafficking organizations, gangs, and other criminal
groups. The stated objective of the Mérida Initiative, according to the U.S. and Mexican
government joint statement of October 2007, is to maximize the effectiveness of existing
efforts against drug, human, and weapons trafficking. The joint statement highlights
current efforts of both countries, including Mexico’s 24% increase in security spending
in 2007 and U.S. efforts to reduce weapons, human, and drug trafficking along the

Mexican border.¹ The Central America portion of the Initiative aims to support
implementation of the U.S. Strategy for Combating Criminal Gangs from Central
America and Mexico and to bolster the capacity of governments to inspect and interdict
unauthorized drugs, goods, arms, and people.
The Administration requested $500 million for Mexico and $50 million for Central
American countries in its FY2008 supplemental appropriations request. In the FY2009
foreign aid request, the Administration requested another $550 million for the Mérida
Initiative – $450 million for Mexico and $100 million for Central American countries.
All of the proposed funding has been requested through the International Narcotics
Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) account, administered by the Department of State
Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). Table 1 provides
a broad summary of the types of programs to be funded by the Initiative.
Table 1. Mérida Funding Request by Program Components
($ in millions)
F Y 2008 F Y 2008Suppl em ent a l F Y 2009 F Y 2009
Type of FundingSupplementalRequest Request Request Request (Central
(Mexico) (CentralAm e r i c a) (Mexico) Am e r i c a)
Counternarcotics,
Counterterrorism, and
Border Security306.316.6238.340.0
Public Security and
Law Enforcement56.125.7158.532.0
Institution Building
and Rule of Law100.67.730.723.0
Program Support37.0 — 22.55.0
Total 500.0 50.0 450.0 100.0
^Sources^:^U^.^S^.^D^e^part^m^eⁿ^t^of^S^t^at^{e bri}^e^fⁱⁿ^g^{paper prov}ⁱ^d^{ed t}^o^C^oⁿ^g^r^es^sⁱ^on^al^of^fⁱ^ces^;^U^.^S^.^D^e^part^m^eⁿ^t^of
^S^t^at^{e, C}^oⁿ^g^r^es^sⁱ^on^al^Bu^dg^et^Ju^s^tⁱ^fⁱ^catⁱ^oⁿ^f^o^{r F}^o^rei^gⁿ^O^p^eratⁱ^oⁿ^s^{, F}^Y^2009.

¹ Although the statement did not announce additional funding for U.S. domestic efforts, it cited
several examples of such efforts to combat drugs and crime that are already in place. Those
examples included the 2007 Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy and the 2008 National
Drug Control Strategy. See U.S. Department of State and Government of Mexico, "Joint
Statement on the Mérida Initiative," October 22, 2007.

Mexico Program Components²
Counternarcotics, Counterterrorism, and Border Security. This is the
largest category of aid in the proposed Mérida Initiative and is intended to provide
equipment and technology infrastructure improvements for Mexican military and law
enforcement agencies. In the FY2008 supplemental request, nearly two thirds of the
requested $306.3 million for this category ($208.3 million) was requested for the
procurement of eight transport helicopters, including a $24 million logistics, spare parts,
and training package, for the Mexican Army and Navy; 87 handheld ion scanners for the
Mexican Air Force and Army; two surveillance planes for the Mexican Navy; and
equipment for two aircraft operated by the Mexican Attorney General’s Office. The
Administration also requested $31.5 million for the provision of inspections equipment
and canine training to Mexican customs for use at points of entry. The Administration
asked for $31.3 million to modernize the Mexican immigration agency’s database and
document verification system and to equip and train immigration agency personnel in
rescue and safety techniques to be used along Mexico’s southern border. The request
included $25.3 million to secure communications systems among Mexican security
agencies and inspection facilities for mail facilities. It contained $7.9 million to improve
database interconnectivity; data management, and forensic analysis tools for Mexican
intelligence agencies. The Administration also sought $2 million to expand the Mexican
Attorney General Office’s (PGR) support of the Operation Against Smugglers Initiative
on Safety and Security (OASISS), a program aimed at identifying and prosecuting human
smugglers along the U.S.- Mexico border.
In the FY2009 request, the Administration placed more emphasis on assistance to
non-military agencies than in the FY2008 supplemental request. The FY2009 request
included $118 million to improve infrastructure and information systems at non-military
agencies, including Mexico’s immigration agency, the PGR, the intelligence service
(CISEN), the postal service, and customs. With respect to military agencies, the FY2009
request included $100 million to support fixed wing aircraft for surveillance and
counternarcotics interception missions carried out by the Mexican Navy and $20 million
in gamma ray inspection equipment for use at Army checkpoints.
Public Security and Law Enforcement. In the FY2008 supplemental request,
the Administration requested the bulk of this aid, $30 million, for the provision of
inspection scanners, x-ray vans, and a canine detection team for police in Mexico’s
Ministry of Public Security. It requested another $6 million to provide security
equipment, including armored vehicles, and bullet-proof vests, to Mexican law
enforcement personnel investigating organized crime. The Administration also asked for
$5 million to upgrade computer infrastructure used to counter money laundering. The
FY2008 supplemental request also included $15.1 million to support the drug demand
reduction efforts of Mexico’s Secretariat of Health. For FY2009, The Administration
requested $158.5 million in this category. Most of the assistance, $147.6 million, would
go to support the Mexican federal police, which would receive: transport helicopters and
maintenance support ($106 million); mobile gamma ray inspection equipment ($26
million); x-ray vans for light vehicles ($4.8 million); and, canine training ($0.75 million).

² Information for sections on proposed funding components for Mexico and Central America are
from Department of State briefing papers submitted to Capitol Hill Offices.

The Administration requested another $10.9 million to support drug demand reduction
programs.
Institution Building and Rule of Law. In the FY2008 supplemental request,
the Administration asked for $100.6 million in this category, with some $60.7 million for
an array of efforts, including revamping information management and forensics systems
at Mexico’s Office of the Attorney General (PGR); training in courts management, prison
management, asset forfeiture, and police professionalization; support for anti-gang and
anti-organized crime units; victim and witness protection program support; and
extradition training. The PGR would receive $19.9 million for digitalization, database
improvements, and a case management system, and $5 million in unspecified support of
the its Forensic Institute. The Administration’s request included $15 million to promote
anti-corruption, transparency, and human rights, though support of law enforcement, court
institutions, and civil society groups working to improve the efficiency and
responsiveness of the justice system. For FY2009, the Administration requested
significantly less funding for this category, $30.7 million, with $23.4 million to improve
the justice system; $8.5 million to support the PGR’s Forensic Institute; and $9.4 million
to support improved data collection and analysis.
Program Support. The FY2008 supplemental request included $37 million and
the FY2009 request included $22.5 million for program support to cover the cost of U.S.
personnel, administration, and budget services related to the proposed aid package.
Central America Program Components
Counternarcotics, Counterterrorism and Border Security.For
FY2008, the Administration requested $16.6. million for this category, spread out among
the seven Central American countries. The Administration proposed spending $7.5
million to support the Central American Fingerprinting Exploitation (CAFÉ) initiative to
facilitate information-sharing about violent gang members and other criminals, to improve
drug crime information sharing and collection, and to expand sensitive investigation
police units dedicated to counternarcotics efforts. It asked for $5.3 million for programs
to improve maritime interdiction capabilities and to provide technical assistance on
firearms tracing, interdiction, and destruction. The Administration also proposed giving
$3.8 million for port, airport, and border security, including equipment and training
through the Organization of America States (OAS) Inter-American Committee Against
Terrorism. For FY2009, the Administration requested $40 million in this category. More
than half of that money, $25.8 million, would go to land and maritime interdiction and
interception assistance, as well as to a regional arms tracking program. The FY2009
request also included $1 million to support the drug demand reduction efforts of the OAS
Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission and $2 million to combat currency
smuggling.
Public Security and Law Enforcement. In the FY2008 supplemental request,
the majority of proposed funding for Central America, $25.7 million, was specified for
programs to improve policing and support anti-gang efforts. The Administration requested
$12.6 million to implement the U.S. Strategy for Combating Criminal Gangs from Central
America and Mexico, including support for diplomatic efforts, funding for the electronic
travel document (eTD) system to provide biometric and biographic information on

persons being deported from the United States, anti-gang units, and community-based
prevention programs. It asked for another $11.1 million to provide specialized police
training and equipment. Some $2 million would fund the International Law Enforcement
Academy (ILEA) in El Salvador. The Administration’s request for funding in this
category did not change significantly in the FY2009 budget request. The FY2009 request
included $13 million to implement the U.S. anti-gang strategy, with $7.5 million of that
slated for community prevention programs, up from $5 million in the FY2008
supplemental request. It also included $13 million for police modernization and technical
assistance and $6 million to support the ILEA.
Institution Building and Rule of Law. The Administration also proposed $7.7
million in rule of law programs in the FY2008 supplemental request, including
improvement of court management and prosecutorial capacity building; reforming prison
management; supporting community policing programs, and providing assets forfeiture
capacity training. The Administration’s FY2009 budget request for this category rose to
$23 million. The largest increases from the FY2008 supplemental request were for courts
management programs and training to improve prosecutorial capacity. The FY2009
budget request also included $2 million for juvenile justice systems and rehabilitation
programs and $1 million for programs to build public confidence in the justice system,
two components not included in the FY2008 supplemental request.
Program Support. The FY2009 budget request included $5 million in unspecified
program support.
Legislation
While several Members of Congress initially expressed concern that they were not
adequately consulted by the Administration during the development of the Mérida
Initiative, a majority have subsequently voted in support of the package. On May 14,
2008, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved H.R. 6028 (Berman), the Merida
Initiative to Combat Illicit Narcotics and Reduce Organized Crime Authorization Act of
2008. The bill would authorize $1.6 billion over three years, FY2008-FY2010, for both
Mexico and Central America, $200 million more than originally proposed by President
Bush. Of that amount, $1.1 billion would be authorized for Mexico, $405 million for
Central America, and $73.5 million for activities of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to reduce the flow of illegal weapons from the United
States to Mexico. Among the bill’s various conditions on providing the assistance, the
measure requires that vetting procedures are in place to ensure that members or units of
military or law enforcement agencies that may receive assistance have not been involved
in human rights violations.
In terms of appropriations legislation, FY2008 supplemental funding for the Mérida
Initiative was considered as part of a broader FY2008 Supplemental Appropriations Act,
H.R. 2642 (Edwards). Originally introduced June 11, 2007 as the FY2008 Military
Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, this bill subsequently became the
vehicle for the second FY2008 supplemental appropriations measure. The May 15, 2008
House-amended version of the bill would have provided $461.5 million for the Mérida
Initiative. Mexico would have received $400 million divided between INCLE, Economic
Support Fund (ESF), and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) accounts, while Central
America, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic would have received a total of $61.5 million

divided between INCLE, ESF, FMF, and Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining and
Related Programs (NADR) aid accounts. The Senate version of H.R. 2642, as amended
on May 22, 2008, would have provided $450 million for the Mérida Initiative, with $350
million for Mexico in the INCLE account; and $100 million for Central America, Haiti,
and the Dominican Republic divided between the INCLE and ESF accounts.
On June 19, 2008, the House approved an amended version of the FY2008
Supplemental Appropriations Act, H.R. 2642, that provides $465 million in FY2008 and
FY2009 supplemental assistance for Mexico and Central America. The Senate approved
the compromise House version of H.R. 2642 on June 26, 2008. The bill was then signed
into law by President Bush on June 30, 2008 (P.L. 110-252) In the act, Mexico receives
$352 million in FY2008 supplemental assistance and $48 million in FY2009 bridge fund
supplemental assistance, while Central America, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic
receive $65 million in FY2008 supplemental assistance. The measure has human rights
conditions softer than compared to earlier House and Senate versions, largely because of
Mexico’s objections that some of the original conditions, particularly those in the Senate
version of the bill, would violate its national sovereignty. The language in the final
enacted measure reduced the amount of funding subject to human rights conditions, from
25% to 15%, removed conditions that would have required the Mexican government to
try military officials accused of abuses in civilian courts and to enhance the power of its
National Human Rights Commission, and softened the language in other conditions.
Table 2. Mérida Funding
($ in millions)
FY2008 FY2008 Final
Supp. Supp.FY2008
CountryFY2008 (H.R.(H.R.Supp. Act FY2009
Supp. 2642)2642)(H.R. 2642/Regular
RequestHouse SenateP.L. 110-252)Request
Mexico 500.0 400.0 350.0 400.0^a 450.0
Central
America 50.0 56.5 90.0 60.0 100.0
Haiti^b 0.0 2.5 5.0 2.5 0.0
Domi nican^b
Republic 0.0 2.5 5.0 2.5 0.0
Total 550.0 461.5 450.0 465.0 550.0
Source: FY2009 figures are from the U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget
Justification for Foreign Operations, FY2009.
a. This $400 million is divided between $352 million in FY2008 supplemental assistance and $48
million in FY2009 bridge fund supplemental assistance.
b Haiti and the Dominican Republic were not included as part of the original Mérida proposal.