R 141602Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6006
DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
INFO ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE

202258
2009-04-14 16:02:00
09MEXICO1048
Embassy Mexico
CONFIDENTIAL

R 141602Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6006
DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
INFO ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE

TAGS: PREL PTER ETRD MX
C O N F I D E N T I A L MEXICO 001048 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/07/2019 
TAGS: PREL PTER ETRD MX
SUBJECT: DHS SECRETARY NAPOLITANO AND ATTORNEY GENERAL 
HOLDER MEET WITH MEXICAN PRESIDENT CALDERON  
Classified By: CDA Leslie Bassett for reasons 1.4 b,d 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary:  DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and 
Attorney General Eric Holder held a wide-ranging conversation 
with President Felipe Calderon April 3 which covered the 
range of security issues from border infrastructure to the 
rising price of cocaine in the U.S.  DHS Secretary Napolitano 
laid out a number of specific measures she hoped the U.S. and 
Mexico could move forward on.  Attorney General Holder 
discussed drug courts and rehabilitation efforts in the U.S. 
President Calderon reiterated his belief the U.S. should 
reinstitute the ban on assault weapons and consider a 
national weapons registry.  The cordial conversation served 
as a good summary of the two U.S. cabinet members' separate 
but hectic rounds of meetings in Mexico including their 
participation in the April 1-3 binational arms trafficking 
conference.  End Summary. 
 
Arms Trafficking 
 
¶2.  (C)  AG Holder opened the conversation by reviewing the 
very fruitful conversations held during the two-day arms 
trafficking conference between U.S. and Mexican subject 
matter experts.  Secretary Napolitano suggested one way of 
dealing with arms trafficking would be increased inspections 
of travelers leaving the U.S. for Mexico.  She had recently 
ordered additional resources to the border for increased 
southbound inspections, and offered to coordinate inspection 
points with Mexico so Mexican Customs could apply its 
inspection resources in complementary areas.  She highlighted 
the utility of trained canine units to USG detection efforts. 
 Secretary Napolitano also observed that as the U.S. and 
Mexico became more successful at controlling land crossings, 
smugglers would likely move to maritime routes, putting 
pressure on the Mexican Navy.  Calderon acknowledged the 
utility of canines, noting that Mexico was working to develop 
its own canine training facility.  The President also 
reiterated that Mexico believes the 2004 expiration of the 
U.S. ban on assault weapons directly affected the more 
aggressive posture by drug cartels today, and asked that the 
U.S. consider re-imposing the ban while acknowledging the 
political difficulties.  The President also requested that 
the U.S. consider a national weapons registry to make tracing 
weapons more efficient, especially after re-sale.  AG Holder 
noted that to support ongoing investigations of arms 
traffickers the U.S. needed to request ready access to 
weapons held by the Mexican army in warehouses, so those 
weapons could be traced. 
 
Border Infrastructure 
 
¶3.  (C)  President Calderon noted that he was very interested 
in a safer border and hoped that technology would advance so 
that every vehicle could pass through non-invasive inspection 
without inconvenience to legitimate travelers or shippers. 
He asked for USG assistance to expand Mexico's inventory of 
non-invasive inspection equipment (NIIE).  Mexico would 
tighten border inspections and criminals would learn they 
can't use the border for crime.  Secretary Napolitano noted 
the Obama Administration's March 20 announcements increased 
law enforcement presence at the border, a step Calderon said 
Mexico welcomed.  Foreign Secretary Espinosa added that 
militarization of the border would be a difficult issue for 
Mexico.  Sec. Napolitano noted that the decision to move 
additional National Guard forces to the border was currently 
under review, but should it be favorable the National Guard 
would serve only in support roles to CBP.  President Calderon 
then presented Secretary Napolitano with a list of six border 
crossing projects (Otay Mesa, Anzalduas, El Chapparal, 
Guadelupe-Tornillo, Colombia-Webb and San Jeronimo-San 
Teresa) which he hoped could be accelerated, perhaps in time 
for President Obama's visit.  Secretary Napolitano noted that 
the stimulus bill included additional resources for ports of 
entry, and added that she and Secretary Espinosa had agreed 
to look at aligning our visions of the border over the longer 
term. 
 
Cooperation Against Security Threats 
 
¶4.  (C)  Mexican Secretary of Government Gomez Mont cited the 
recent successful collaboration between ICE and Mexican 
Customs to stop smuggling from the government oil company 
Pemex.  This was an example of great cooperation, Secretary 
Gomez-Mont stressed.  Mexico looked forward to launching very 
soon a fusion task force to detect and deter criminal 
activity across Mexico, and hoped it could link to U.S. intel 
centers like EPIC once it was up and running.  President 
Calderon praised cooperation with both DOJ and DHS, then 
solicited Attorney General Holder's support regarding 
acquisition of some equipment the Mexican intelligence agency 
CISEN was hoping to purchase, but which had been held up due 
to reservations expressed by a DOJ agency.  Calderon also 
highlighted excellent cooperation between the Mexican Navy 
and the U.S. Coast Guard. 
 
¶5.  (C)  President Calderon acknowledged that Mexico had an 
increasing drug consumption problem, and solicited USG 
support in sharing successful techniques to rehabilitate 
serious addicts.  AG Holder noted that the U.S. would engage 
more aggressively in demand reduction in the coming years, 
allocating significant resources to drug courts that would 
supervise mandatory treatment for addicts, or remand them to 
prison if they failed treatment.  These programs were very 
successful, the Attorney General said.  Prevention and 
rehabilitation programs would take markets away from the 
cartels.  Calderon agreed, then added that as Mexico became 
more successful in interdicting drugs like cocaine, for 
example, the market price would rise higher in the U.S., 
providing a greater incentive to traffickers to stay in the 
business.  He needed the benefit of U.S. expertise to 
understand how, working together, we might drive the price of 
drugs down so cartels would not longer see trafficking as a 
profitable enterprise.  Secretary Napolitano took the 
opportunity to congratulate President Calderon on Mexico's 
success in clamping down on precursor chemicals for 
methamphetamine production. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Calderon then turned to his efforts in Ciudad 
Juarez, noting that Mexico sees a success in Juarez as a 
benchmark for its security strategy.  Since he had dispatched 
the military and federal police to Juarez, Calderon noted, 
crime had fallen 80 percent.  Yesterday was the first time in 
years, he continued, that there had not been a single murder 
in Chihuahua.  Calderon said he recognized the military did 
not pose a permanent solution, so would work to reform and 
equip local police, and insist on the support of local 
authorities.  Both AG Holder and Secretary Napolitano said 
the U.S. applauds Calderon's efforts and appreciates the 
sacrifices of the agents and soldiers working toward a secure 
Mexico. 
 
Migration 
 
¶7.  (C)  President Calderon agreed that migration was a 
difficult issue in these economic times.  He appreciated 
President Obama's commitment to comprehensive migration 
reform.  For Mexico the near-term challenge was to work to 
change the image of Mexico so that any migration debate, when 
the time was appropriate, would not be colored by 
anti-Mexican sentiment.   He also hoped there might be an 
opportunity to expand the temporary worker visa programs in 
sectors where labor shortages might still be a challenge. 
DHS Secretary Napolitano noted that she and Foreign Secretary 
Espinosa had discussed a high level group to discuss 
migration issues as they pertained under existing 
legislation, as there was certainly more we could do together 
on that front.  She looked forward to working with colleagues 
at the Department of State and Justice on this idea. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
BASSETT