Mexico and United States Commit to Combat
Border Violence and Improve Public Safety
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (DHS) — In accordance with the Security and
Prosperity Partnership, the Secretary of Governance of Mexico,
Carlos Abascal, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
(DHS)
Secretary Michael Chertoff met in Brownsville, Texas to
sign an Action Plan to combat border violence and improve public
safety. The commitment between the two nations will strengthen
procedures between federal law enforcement agencies on both sides
of the border to respond to different scenarios ranging from
accidental
crossings to incidents of violence, or other situations that
present risks to those who live, work, or travel at our common
border.
“Criminal
networks operating at the border are increasingly emboldened and
represent alarming risks to our security and public safety. Their
lawlessness is intolerable, and together we will confront them
with the full force of the law,” said Secretary Chertoff.
“We are pledging swift and aggressive action to combat violent
criminal activity at the border, and we’ll continue to share critical
information to target and dismantle these dangerous criminal networks.”
“Being
good neighbors starts at the border. With these agreements on
border security and public safety we strengthen our bridges of
understanding and cooperation.” said Secretary Abascal.
“We are committed to protecting all persons who live, work
or transit the border region against crime and violence, regardless
of their migratory status. We sincerely appreciate the commitment
of Secretary Chertoff and the Department of Homeland Security
to work together in this direction. We are aware that facing violence
and crime, there are no magic overnight solutions, but we are
convinced that binational systematic efforts are the best we can
do to have better results.”
To help prevent
violent incidents, Secretary Abascal, Secretary Chertoff and Eduardo
Medina-Mora, Mexican Secretary of Public Safety, have endorsed
a multi-step plan for bi-national coordination during emergency
situations. The plan lays out a commitment to ensure immediate
communications and information sharing between responsible authorities
during emergency situations that may have cross border implications.
The Action Plan also lays the groundwork for ensuring coordinated
investigations and detentions of persons believed to be involved
in violent activity along the border.
In addition,
both nations will continue to coordinate border security efforts
such as patrolling the border region, conducting regular exercises
to ensure updated and consistent protocols and identifying common
landmarks so that first responders can quickly arrive at the scene.
Aside from
the Action Plan mentioned, DHS continues to partner with the Government
of Mexico in information sharing and coordinated law enforcement
efforts such as Operation Blackjack, to fight violent cross-border
crime in Laredo, Texas, OASISS to reduce the increasing number
of human smugglers operating along the southwest border and cooperative
efforts to uncover cross-border tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico
border in California and Arizona.
Action
Plan Between the U.S and Mexico to Combat Border Violence and
Improve Public Safety
(DHS) With a vision of shared responsibility, the Governments
of the United States and Mexico reiterate our commitment to address
the challenges we face at our border to prevent incidents that
threaten the lives and physical safety of citizens of both nations.
The Presidents
of Mexico and the United States have pledged our respective Governments
to a new vision of our shared border and our larger North American
community. This spirit of cooperation is affirmed in the Security
and Prosperity Partnership for North America, announced on March
23, 2005, by the Presidents of Mexico and the United States and
the Prime Minister of Canada.
With respect
for the sovereign right of each nation to formulate and enforce
its own laws, the Secretary of Governance of Mexico and the Secretary
of Homeland Security of the United States are committed to an
aggressive approach based on the fundamental principle that preserving
law and order along our border is a shared responsibility that
requires mutual commitment and the highest possible level of cooperation
between the law enforcement officials of each country.
Both governments
recognize the value of the Border Liaison Mechanisms (BLMs) as
appropriate local forums to discuss and address the challenges
we face along our border.
No criminal
should be allowed to exploit the dividing line between our nations
and our law enforcement jurisdictions to escape justice or to
prey upon our honest citizens. No one, regardless of their immigration
status, should be subjected to criminal violence. Our Governments
seek a transformed relationship to prevent incidents of violence
and to investigate vigorously any incidents that do occur.
In order to
achieve these goals, both governments are committed to coordinating
and strengthening procedures between Federal law enforcement agencies
on both sides of the border to respond to different scenarios
that present risks to those who live, work, or travel at our common
border.
To help prevent
such incidents, our Governments endorse the following cooperative
steps:
I.
Stopping Border Violence and Crime
The Secretaries
of Governance and Homeland Security should work to coordinate
with other interested Federal agencies of their respective governments
to ensure an effective response to incidents of cross-border violence
and crime.
A Border Security
and Public Safety Working Group, led by the Secretariat of Governance
and Department of Homeland Security but including other relevant
agencies, is to be established. This operational group is to work
within the Border Liaison Mechanism (BLM) structure to facilitate
coordination and operational requirements and should coordinate
with each BLM, to include the Consuls General or Principal Consuls
at the U.S. and Mexican Consulates located on the Border. This
working group should carry out the following tasks.
Both countries
recognize the need to work in a coordinated manner with all law
enforcement agencies at all levels of government in both countries,
to fulfill these proposed actions, and to achieve the objectives
contained in this Action Plan.
The Secretary
of Governance of Mexico and the Secretary of Homeland Security
of the United States intend to work to ensure that the appropriate
law enforcement agencies of our respective Governments work together
to accomplish the tasks and to achieve the goals set forth in
this Action Plan. With these steps, the Secretaries hope to strengthen
the foundation of cooperation and advance the security goals set
forth in the Security and Prosperity Partnership for North America.
Signed
at Brownsville, Texas this third day of March of the year two
thousand six, in two original versions, Spanish and English.
Michael Chertoff
Carlos
Abascal