Letter to President George W. Bush on Border Security

Letter to President George W. Bush on Border Security
March 21, 2005

The Honorable George W. Bush
President
United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As Members of Congress who represent southern border communities, we recognize the importance of a strong bilateral relationship with Mexico. We are encouraged by your upcoming meeting with President Vicente Fox and ask that you include some of our concerns in your discussions.

Nothing at this moment in history requires more cooperation between our two countries than border security. Since 2001 our two nations have worked closely to implement the Smart Border plan to enhance security without impeding trade. Although we applaud both countries' efforts in harmonizing port of entry operations, we would like to see: more increased cooperation relating to information sharing, security along Mexico's borders, and deterrence of alien smuggling.

Recent intelligence reports suggest that Al-Qaeda operatives may attempt to enter the United States through Mexico. The alarmingly high number of "other than Mexicans" (OTMs) entering our country through our southwest border suggest those intelligence reports could be accurate (a matter noted by the 9-11 Commission). In this fiscal year alone, there has been a 137% increase in OTMs, many of them from countries of interest, who do not need a visa to visit Mexico. For that reason, we ask that our two countries pay specific attention to screening of third-country nationals and visa policy consultations, both included in the 22 point agreement.

In addition to the need for increased information sharing, it is essential that we address security concerns raised by the recent escalation of violence along the Mexico/Texas border. In the past year, 27 American citizens have been abducted from the Laredo/Nuevo Laredo areas alone. We ask that you work to formulate a comprehensive solution to this problem, including an agreement between the U.S. and Mexican governments to cooperate to find the missing individuals. We also ask that you look ahead to the future of the border region, and work to create a plan that lays out tangible steps toward the enforcement of the safety stipulations contained in the Smart Border Agreement.

Our partnership with Mexico is important to both nations; our policies have a profound effect on each other. We encourage you to candidly discuss these matters with President Fox at your coming summit, and we look forward to working with you to strengthen our ties.

Sincerely,

Solomon P. Ortiz
Member of Congress

Silvestre Reyes
Member of Congress

Henry Cuellar
Member of Congress

http://www.house.gov/cuellar/pr.050324.1.html