Sneaky Bush White House

Well, well when it comes to securing our Southern border President Bush is all for it - sort of.  He wants to give Mexico $1.4 billion to among other things help secure their border with Central America!  The plan is known as the ”Meridia Initiative” and it is not pretty folks.  Michelle Malkin has the details.

Seems that the White House has had this plan in the works for nearly a year with little congressional input on either side of the border.

We can’t finish our own border fence, properly supply our immigration agents and border patrol with all the equipment and resources they need, or get our house in order. Yet, the Bush administration wants to fork over $1.4 billion to Mexico and Central America–with much of it going into the hands of corrupt law enforcement officials and government bureaucrats who have worked tirelessly to undermine our immigration laws. The funding is tucked into the 2008 supplemental budget.

Naturally, the State Department has taken a lead role. They’ve held meetings in secret and cut out members of Congress from discussion. You’ll love the explanation for the secrecy: Mexico is “sensitive,” you see. Also, according to one expert, “Mexico is very protective of its sovereignty and very worried about any incursion of U.S. security forces or private contractors—like Blackwater—coming in to train Mexicans.” Yeah, they’re worried about incursions and sovereignty.

Interestingly enough no Republican opposition to this yet.  That is not a good thing especially when you look closer.  From  Witness For Peace:

The proposed $1.4 billion Merida Initiative is no isolated proposal, nor is it the whole story on funding for Mexico’s new drug war. Apparently, the plan was first discussed in March when President Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon held a closed-door meeting in Merida, Mexico, as part of their ongoing, but rarely noted, efforts to increase security cooperation between the two countries. According to the administration of President Calderon, Mexico plans to put up the majority of the funding: a whopping $7 billion, making the Merida Initiative an $8.4 billion program.

While we have some idea of how U.S. funds will be allocated, would Congress’s approval legitimize a bilateral policy in which there is not yet a clear idea of how the majority of the money will be spent? Is the Merida Initiative a U.S.-borne program for which Mexico foots the majority of the bill and the public responsibility? If so, then the U.S., while having a strong, if not the strongest, voice in the direction of the project, conveniently will have little accountability if funds are misused or if police and military use excessive force against the civilian population. That’s not to say that the U.S. should be telling Mexico how to spend its money, but to question a deliberate blind eye on the part of the U.S. government and our support for federal forces whose recent track record indicates a strong possibility of continuing impunity with respect to human rights violations in Mexico. 

Amazing simply amazing that this would be basically done behind the scenes with little opposition.  More amazing is the arrogance to go ahead with this after the whole illegal immigration fiasco last year.  Part of the administration argument in favor of this according to Roberta Jacobson - fighting organized crime is more important.

How will the debate over illegal immigration affect the prospects for the initiative?
There isn’t any doubt that the president and all of us are disappointed in the failure of immigration reform this past summer. On the other hand, I think one of the most encouraging things in the relationship right now has been both governments’ willingness to move ahead on this initiative despite the failure of comprehensive immigration reform. The fight against organized crime is simply too important to allow any difference we may have on immigration policy to keep us from cooperating in this area.

So we keep the border open so that the organized crime happening in Mexico can freely move here.  Provided the money is actually spent the way it is intended that’s real smart … NOT!

Contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them to vote down this plan, here are the switchboard numbers:
Senate  - 202-244-3121

House - 202-225-3121

Also contact the White House and state you displeasure with this plan:

Comment line - 202-456-1111