Speech #1050013779

The resolution we will vote on requires the President to report by September 1. 1997. on the efforts of Mexico and the United States to achieve results in combating the production of and trafficking in illicit drugs. I support the resolution. and am hopeful that the report will show significant progress by Mexico and the United States in fighting the war on illegal drugs. As my colleagues have discussed today. we cannot win the war on drugs unless Mexico achieves significant progress in the areas of drug trafficking. extradition. corruption among Mexican law enforcement and other officials. interdiction networks. implementation of laws and regulations to combat money laundering. eradication of crops destined for illegal drug use in the United States. and the strengthening of bilateral border control. Border control must also be a top priority of the United States. and while my colleagues. including Senators COVERDELL. FEINSTEIN. and HUTCHISON. have done an excellent job detailing what must be done to further our and Mexicos efforts to fight illegal drugs. I want to concentrate for a moment on the need for additional United States Border Patrol agents. First. I am pleased that one of three things we are asking the President to do by September 1 is detail the progress made in the deployment of 1.000 additional U.S. Border Patrol agents in 1997 as required by my amendment to the Immigration Act of Without an effectively controlled border. the United States cannot even begin to win the war on drugs. I was disturbed that the Presidents fiscal year 1997 budget to Congress requested the addition of only 500 Border Patrol agents. instead of the 1.000 required in the 1986 Act. Senators McCAIN. GRAMM. HUTCHISON. and DOMENICI recently joined me in sending a letter to the President. urging him to comply with the law. revise his budget request. and deploy 1.000 additional agents in 1997. Without an adequate contingent of customs and border agents. the problem of individuals smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants across our border will only worsen. Border Patrol agents are on the front lines every day. working hard to seal off our borders from increasing levels of illegal immigration and the drug trade. The agents that Congress has added over the past few years have made a difference. but the need for additional agents keeps growing. Drug and illegal alien smuggling continues to growillegal immigrants are expected to increase by 275.000 per year over the next several yearsand the effects of illegal drugs. particularly methamphetamine. have been devastating for the citizens of Arizona and the rest of the Nation. Just a few weeks ago. a study on drug use in America showed a large increase in youth drug use over the last 5 years. Arizona fared poorly. with much higher drug use than the national average. including a startling statistic that our sixth graders are twice as likely to have tried methamphetamine than high school seniors nationwide.