Sec. 1015. Sense of Congress on Mexico and Central America

295 words·~1 min read·/bill/113/hr/4435/rh/section-1015

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Congress makes the following findings: The stability and security of Mexico and the nations of Central America have a direct impact on the stability and security of the United States. Over the past decade, a balloon effect has pushed increased violence and instability into Central America and Mexico from South America. Drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations have spread throughout the region, causing instability and lack of rule of law in many nations. Illicit networks are used in a variety of illegal activities including the movement of narcotics, humans, weapons, and money.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world with 92 murders per 100,000 people. Currently, Mexico is working to reduce violence created by transnational criminal organizations and address issues spurred by the emergence of internal self defense groups. United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command lead the efforts of the Department of Defense in combating illicit networking in Mexico and Central America.

To combat these destabilizing threats, through a variety of authorities, the Department of Defense advises, trains, educates, and equips vetted troops in Mexico and many of the nations of Central America to build their militaries and police forces, with an emphasis on human rights and building partnership capacity. It is the sense of Congress that— the Department of Defense should continue to focus on combating illicit networking routes in Mexico and Central America; United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command should continue to work together to combat the transnational nature of these threats; and the Department of Defense should increase its maritime, aerial and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets in the region in order to reduce the amount of illicit networking flowing into the United States.