SECRETARY CHERTOFF AND GOM OFFICIALS DISCUSS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 MEXICO 002276

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2027
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SNAR KCRM MX
SUBJECT: SECRETARY CHERTOFF AND GOM OFFICIALS DISCUSS
SECURITY COOPERATION AND SHARED CHALLENGES

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Charles V. Barclay. Reason:
1.4 (b),(d).


1. (SBU) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Michael
Chertoff met with GOM security cabinet officials during an
official visit to Mexico July 17-18 to discuss issues related
to U.S.-Mexico law enforcement cooperation. He attended the
GOM,s National Security Council meeting on July 18 and met
separately with Secretary of Public Security Garcia Luna,
Attorney General Medina Mora, Secretary of Government Mourino
together with Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa,
and Secretary of National Defense Gen. Galvan Galvan together
with Secretary of the Navy Adm. Saynez Mendoza.

Merida Initiative


2. (C) Secretary Chertoff remarked that he was pleased that
the Merida Initiative (MI) had been approved and said that
the USG was ready to engage in detailed discussions on
implementing the various elements of the package. He
highlighted the key role of the Ambassador and the team at
U.S. Embassy Mexico City in contributing to the passage of MI
and stressed his expectation that DHS would remain
significantly engaged in implementation of the program. The
Ambassador pointed out that the country team in place at the
Embassy will largely remain (with the exception of himself)
through the change of administrations in the U.S.; retaining
this core group should contribute to more effective
implementation. GOM Cabinet Ministers were similarly pleased
with passage of MI and eager to press forward with its
implementation. Foreign Relations Secretary Espinosa
stressed the importance of bilateral collaboration with the
State Department. Attorney General Medina Mora called MI
"the biggest step forward since NAFTA." The Foreign
Relations Secretariat (SRE) is leading an interagency group
on a visit to Washington the week of July 21 to discuss next
steps on MI.

Cooperation on Semi-Submersible Intercept


3. (SBU) GOM counterparts expressed great appreciation for
the information DHS provided to the Mexican Navy which
resulted in the seizure of the semi-submersible packed with
5.8 tons of cocaine. They were especially appreciative that
we had collaborated with them in manner demonstrating respect
for Mexican sovereignty. The intercept reinforced the
importance of close cooperation, including the ability to
share tactical information on a timely basis.

New Counter Narcotics Offensive


4. (SBU) Public Security (SSP) Secretary Garica Luna thanked
Secretary Chertoff for the USG's cooperation in the drug war
and noted the GOM's success in attacking the "logistics" and
"capacity" of organized criminal gangs. As a result, the
larger cartels had become fractured into smaller, yet more
dangerous groups. The GOM is planning a new offensive
against these groups which will include an aggressive front
in Sinaloa while maintaining pressure in Tamaulipas and
Michoacan. Because the Federal Police are now moving into
areas historically controlled by the drug cartels, violence
is expected to increase. He is deploying 10,000 new, vetted
police along the border, and expressed appreciation for DHS
help with the vetting.


5. (SBU) The Secretary of National Defense (SEDENA) Galvan
said the military is remains engaged in fighting drugs
through its aggressive eradication program and significant
seizures. Galvan acknowledged that the military is under
severe pressure due to the surge in violence by organized
criminal groups. As a regrettable consequence, he warned
that there may be isolated/rare incidents where soldiers have
overreacted and used excessive force. He also suggested that
organized criminal groups are using negative propaganda to
pressure the President into pulling the military out of the
battle against organized crime.

Border Violence Protocols


6. (SBU) Secretary Chertoff highlighted progress made thus
far this year on refining the Border Violence Protocols
(BVP),and incorporating SSP and their growing capabilities
into the protocols, as an excellent example of how
U.S.-Mexico cooperation improves security for both nations.

MEXICO 00002276 002 OF 004


GOM counterparts echoed the Secretary's praise of this effort
and conveyed their commitment to coordinating operational
responses to violence and security incidents along the border
more effectively. Foreign Relations Secretary Espinosa
requested that SRE be brought into the BVP discussions.

Information Sharing


7. (SBU) Secretary Chertoff stressed the importance of
continuing to improve US-Mexico information sharing
activities as the key element required to achieve all our
joint goals. On this issue, SSP Secretary Garcia Luna
provided a tour of his "Platform Mexico" command center ) a
state of the art facility that will integrate national level
intelligence with reports from state and local authorities
into a single database. The center already can receive live
feeds from thousands of cameras throughout Mexico and is
expected to reach full operational capability in 2-3 months.


8. (C) Garcia Luna drew attention to the important
contribution U.S. assistance has played in the development of
Platform Mexico, and expressed interest in discussing how our
two countries can develop a more robust information sharing
regime based on this new capability. SSP also provided a
brief on its impressive link analysis capabilities that take
an all source intelligence approach to defining and
interdicting criminal networks, including a focus on tracking
funds through criminal attorney activities.

Dealing with SIAs


9. (C) Secretary Chertoff recommended reducing the number of
countries on the Special Interest Alien (SIA) list to better
target SIAs that present the greatest threat. He also
informed GOM officials that the U.S. was prepared to assist
in repatriating SIAs back to their country of origin.


10. (C) Medina Mora said that the GOM is apprehending
approximately 1500 SIAs annually (mostly Iraqi Christians and
some Chinese and Cubans) but that the current law requires
the government to release them relatively early. While he
noted that the GOM wass doing a better job of monitoring and
detaining SIAs that attempt to enter Mexico by air, it was
the land border that posed the greatest risk. Medina Mora
said that not a single terrorist had entered the U.S. to date
from Mexico, and that it is in the GOM,s interest to ensure
one never does so as to avoid an &irrational reaction8 by
the U.S.

Dealing with Cuban Migrants


11. (C) Medina Mora expressed concern about the flow of Cuban
migrants into Mexico, many of whom have criminal backgrounds.
He was pessimistic about progress on this issue given both
the U.S.' policy of accepting Cubans (under the dry-foot
policy) and Cuba's policy of refusing to take them back. He
informed Chertoff that the GOM would send a delegation to
Cuba for meetings July 23-24 that would include a discussion
of illegal immigration.

The Release of Navarro Montes

12.(C) Medina Mora explained circumstances surrounding the
release of Navarro Montes, accused of killing a Border Patrol
(BP) officer six months ago. He said that the judge had
ruled that the Mexican immigration official who filed the
complaint lacked the legal authority to do so and as a result
the case was dismissed. He explained that although Navarro
Montes had made admissions regarding his involvement in the
BP officer's death, the admissions were not enough to
prosecute him in Mexican courts. It was agreed that Navarro
Montes should be tried in a U.S. court. Medina Mora assured
Secretary Chertoff that the apprehension and extradition of
Navarro Montes are one of PGR's highest priorities.

OASISS and Cooperation on Marijuana


13. (SBU) Medina Mora described two phases of OASISS: (1)
apprehension operations at the border and (2) integration of
information to ensure successful prosecutions. While PGR
would like to expand the current OASSIS program, it currently
lacks the equipment to do so; it expects to expand the
program later this year. PGR is working on providing judges
with refined sentencing criteria to achieve greater

MEXICO 00002276 003 OF 004


consistency; presently, judges preserve too much discretion
in handing down sentences which encourages corruption.
Medina Mora also underscored the need for the U.S. to
prosecute more, remarking that trafficking in marijuana was a
critical secondary cash source for the cartels. On that
note, he expressed his desire to use the OASISS as a model to
prosecute firearms and drug smuggling cases not accepted for
prosecution in the U.S. In response, Secretary Chertoff
noted that U.S. Attorney General Mukasey is increasing the
number of federal prosecutors along the southwest border
which should result in the U.S. prosecuting more smugglers.

Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (UAS)


14. (C) Secretary Chertoff emphasized the capability of UAS
to provide high quality, real-time video tracking threat
activities right through to the end game. At the Roundtable
attended by the major GOM National Security Cabinet members,
Secretary Chertoff mentioned that the upcoming change of
administrations would inevitably slow progress on issues like
joint UAS operations, and said he would like to see an
agreement in place and operations starting before the end of
the year. GOM cabinet members responded very positively to
the UAS issue. Government Secretary Mourino agreed that a
"window of opportunity" existed before the new U.S.
administration took office, and that we should move rapidly
to initiate a pilot UAS project. Defense Secretary Galvan,
SSP Secretary Garcia-Luna, and CISEN Deputy Director Mohar
also strongly endorsed the UAS concept. In an aside after
the meeting concluded, Foreign Relations Undersecretary Rico
said that SRE would like to understand more of the
operational details of the UAS proposal.

HALCON


15. (C) In his meetings with GOM counterparts, Secretary
Chertoff requested the reactivation of the HALCON -- a
cooperative U.S.-Mexico air interdiction program )- and
hoped that the SRE will soon provide the required Diplomatic
Note for its reactivation. SSP has provided SRE a legal
analysis of their authority to conduct air interdiction
operations, which previously were under PGR,s authority, and
SRE is currently considering this analysis.

Drug Smuggling


16. (C) Medina Mora said there have been 5000 deaths since
December 2006, mostly cartel members ) but that figure also
includes 500 Mexican officials, mostly state and local
police. He expects methamphetamine to shift to a pattern of
direct export from Asia to the U.S., eliminating Mexico as an
"unnecessary middleman." He sees Mexican and Colombian drug
cartels moving operations into Guatemala, and believes the
improving U.S. and Mexican enforcement capabilities are going
to raise the cartels' "opportunity costs" making Mexico a
less attractive smuggling route. He opined that we could see
activity out of Guatemala and increases in smuggling across
the Caribbean.

The Southern Border


17. (C) GOM officials raised their concern regarding the need
to secure Mexico's porous Southern border. Garcia Luna
expressed concern over the recent desertion of a large
percentage of the Guatemalan military. He said air smugglers
are landing in the Northern border of Guatemala and Mexico,
making interdiction much more difficult. Medina Mora is
concerned about the increasing strength of the Maras, and
believes there are now 150,000 Mara members in Central
America. It is now a crime to belong to the Maras in Mexico,
but they are getting politically stronger in El Salvador.
The GOM wants to see stronger Central American, particularly
Guatemalan, law enforcement capabilities, with a focus on
drug smuggling and human trafficking. They are very pleased
that the Merida Initiative includes funds to assist the
Central Americans in fighting organized crime.

Weapons Smuggling


18. (SBU) Secretary Chertoff expressed appreciation for
Mexican cooperation on Operation Armas Cruzadas. He expected
the effort's focus on leveraging intelligence to dismantle
weapon smuggling networks would be highly effective. Medina
Mora noted Mexico had already confiscated 16,000 weapons over

MEXICO 00002276 004 OF 004


the past year, but that the Federal Police still find
themselves "outgunned" by the cartels.


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 /
GARZA