DHS ASSISTANT SECRETARY MORTON MEETS GOM CABINET

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 MEXICO 002134 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2029 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SNAR KCRM MX SUBJECT: DHS ASSISTANT SECRETARY MORTON MEETS GOM CABINET MEMBERS TO DISCUSS SECURITY ISSUES Classified By: Charge DQ,Affaires John D. Feeley Reason: 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Department of Homeland Security Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton and Chief of Staff Suzie Barr met on July 13 with several Government of Mexico (GOM) cabinet members. He discussed issues ranging from crafting a high-level working group focused on repatriation and migration issues to joint strategies for prosecuting drugs and weapons smugglers on both sides of the border. At every meeting, Morton emphasized the administrationQ,s commitment toward a strengthened partnership between Mexico and the United States on security and law enforcement issues within a context of the rule of law. This message was well received by the GOM representatives, who responded enthusiastically and provided suggestions for enhancing collaboration on several ongoing and proposed joint efforts. End Summary. -------------- Press Briefing -------------- ¶2. (C) MortonQ,s visit started with a press briefing by the EmbassyQ,s public affairs office, which covered the Federal PoliceQ,s arrest of Q&La FamiliaQ8 cartel leader, Arnaldo Rueda, in Michoac n, the recent allegations of military human right abuses in their counterdrug role, and the recent decrease in the amount of Q&remesasQ8 to Mexico by 20%. The briefing also covered the execution of two Mormon dual citizens in the State of Chihuahua and the results of the midterm elections. After the briefing concluded, Morton asked about particular sensitivities that he should be aware of and about Embassy MexicoQ,s talking points on security and law enforcement cooperation with the GOM. The Charge dQ, Affaires (CDA) highlighted that cooperation with GOM has never been better, and that the USG understands that it shares responsibility with Mexico. CDA Feeley also discussed that Merida has provided a way to forge an effective strategy to deal with drug trafficking and violence, and that the USG has a long-term commitment to working with Mexico. -------------- -- Secretaries of Government and Foreign Relations -------------- -- ¶3. (C) Morton met over breakfast with the Under Secretary for North America Ambassador Carlos Rico, the Director General of Protection to Mexican Citizens Abroad Minister Daniel Hernandez, the Under Secretary for the Secretary of ;Government Geronimo Gutierrez, the Executive Secretary for the National Security Council Jorge Tello Peon, the Under Secretary for Migration, Population, and Religious Affairs Alejandro Poire. Morton emphasized DHSQ, interest in forging a working group with SEGOB and SRE to undertake tangible dialogue and cooperation on issues important to both governments. Morton suggested that developing a framework for such working group could help in achieving that goal. He also noted that recent MOUs signed between ICE, DEA, and ATF placed the USG in a better position to collaborate with the GOM more effectively. SEGOB was receptive to the idea of creating a migration working group, and remarked that it could be focused on the themes of repatriation and migration. SEGOB said that the GOM is also making a concerted effort to increase the level of coordination between their ministries. ¶4. (C) SEGOB Deputy Secretary Geronimo Gutierrez noted that there has never been a more opportune moment to strengthen the cooperation between the GOM and USG, but that currently the efforts between both governments lack direction. He then mentioned that since the April visit by President Obama to Mexico, the GOM and USG had not done enough to focus mutual collaboration efforts. Given Mexican and US political cycles, the upcoming visit by President Obama in August would present the last best opportunity to get executive direction. SREQ,s Ambassador Rico concurred with this assessment. CDA Feeley assured SEGOB and SRE he understood GOM concerns and stressed that working-levels in both governments have an obligation to Q&hardwireQ8 our cooperation mechanisms while we enjoy such strong executive leadership. ¶5. (C) Revisiting the subject of reviving a migration issues working group, A/S Morton expressed that both he and DHS Secretary Napolitano are great supporters of this and asked if SEGOB/SRE had any ideas in mind regarding its potential structure. Rico outlined a conceptual plan that included several sub-groups headed by assistant secretarial leadership. Discrete themes of the working group could be issues like repatriation and migration. Other groups included migrant flows, drug trafficking, human development and integration, labor mobility and labor flows, and data sharing. Rico explained that his office is working on a proposal for Foreign Minister Espinosa and added that he would commit to sending a communiquQ to DHS with their ideas and proposals for the working group. Morton replied that DHS would be open to further discussion on the matter and asked whether it was possible to see before-hand a draft of the proposal to be sent to Espinosa. ¶6. (C) A/S Morton raised GOM policies for handling Third Country Nationals (TCNs) transiting through Mexico and apprehended on their way to the US. Morton explained that this is an area where the USG is ready to work collaboratively with the GOM in providing diplomatic, financial, and logistic support to ensure the successful repatriation of TCNs. CDA Feeley offered to leverage diplomatic muscle suggesting joint demarches to foreign missions to document their nationals. Rico assured Morton that the GOM would provide ICE access to special interest aliens (SIAs) for the purposes of investigation and agreed to further conversations on the matter. -------------- Secretary of Public Security -------------- ¶7. (C) Following congratulatory remarks by A/S Morton on the recent arrests in Michoacan, Secretary of Public Security (SSP) Genaro Garcia Luna took the opportunity to thank the USG for all the support given to law enforcement initiatives in Mexico and proceeded to provide a detailed description of new undertakings by the SSP. Among these he highlighted the 1,500 officers who had recently completed intelligence training, the final withdrawal of all military troops on loan to SSP, the intention of swelling the number of Federal Police from 31,000 to 40,000 by next year, and the expectations for a new communications and intelligence center at the SSP headquarters in Mexico City to be fully operational by the end of the month. Garcia Luna then summed up the events leading to the arrests in Michoacan and gave an overview of the organizational psyche and ideology of the drug organization Q&La Familia.Q8 ¶8. (C) Garcia Luna explained that SSP seeks to confront traffickers from all angles. In Michoac n, it has established a stronger intelligence operation. In Ciudad Juarez, SSP is switching from roving patrols to increased continued physical presence in the streets. SSP also plans to increase their operations in the area between Matamoros and Nuevo Laredo to better confront the Zetas trafficking organization. However, he lamented that even though there have been many successes in law enforcement, the perception of the average Mexican is that the security situation is deteriorating. He explained that, contrary to popular belief, drug related violent crime was only six percent of total registered crime. Garcia Luna concluded by saying that he would like to continue cooperating with the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) and that he would like to enlarge the scope of intelligence sharing to include access to USG law enforcement data bases and information systems. ¶9. (C) A/S Morton expressed his interest in continued cooperation between SSP at the border and indicated his interest in jointly pursuing five cases that would result in successful prosecution and indictment. Morton continued by saying that he would be pleased to prosecute a high profile case where both SSP and DHS could announce publicly Q)at either side of the border- their successful cooperation. CDA Feeley added that the USG is committed to assist with the training of new classes of officers and that DHS and SSP should keep working together to improve the perception of the Mexican population and that of the US Congress regarding the security situation in Mexico. -------------- Attorney GeneralQ,s Office -------------- ¶10. (C) A/S Morton expressed to AG Medina Mora DHSQ, continued commitment to working with the PGR. Morton followed by saying that progressive strides had been made in the rule of law battle despite the many challenges encountered. He also noted that DHS would like to collaborate with PGR on criminal syndicates smuggling TCNs through Mexico on route to the United States. Morton said that this is a shared problem with the possibility of successful investigations and prosecutions. ¶11. (C) Medina Mora thanked ICE for its efforts to combat marihuana and weapons trafficking. He also expressed his satisfaction with the MOUs recently signed between ICE, DEA, and ATF. He added that PGR would also like to follow a more collaborative approach with other Mexican ministries and with other potential US partners, such as attorney general offices from individual states. He added that PGR would like to discuss how the USG and GOM could create a protocol where issues of mutual interest Q)particularly those related to weapons smuggling and drug trafficking- could be approached in a systematic manner that would result in the building of strong cases and successful indictments. He suggested, for starters, that bilateral efforts could build better aggregated data on weapons smuggling. He also suggested that better data collection and entry systems could be put in place, potentially with the use Q)if approved- of mobile units provided by the Narcotic Affairs Section. ¶12. (C) A/S Morton replied that the USG can now provide more robust cooperation to PGR given the new interagency MOUs. He agreed that DHS and PGR should come to an arrangement detailing the extent of mutual cooperation that would result in concrete efforts. Morton then added that more detailed information on seized weapons and the physical access to these weapons Q)especially if needed for prosecution in the US- would be very helpful. In response to concerns regarding the usefulness of additional information on weapons provided by PGR to ATF, Morton said that although in the past ATF did not have the full capacity to use that information towards prosecution, the new MOU would effectively change that. Medina Mora replied that he was looking forward to enhanced cooperation and that he wants to restate the importance of crafting a protocol defining joint cooperation and aimed at building strong cases to prosecute. A/S Morton and Medina Mora designated DHS Special Assistant Alonzo Pena and head of the National Center for Analysis and Planning of Intelligence (CENAPI) Juan Sanchez Zarza, respectively, as the responsible agents for designing this protocol. ¶13. (C) The meeting concluded with Medina Mora rolling out a PGR wish-list that included getting more specific information regarding individuals apprehended during weapon seizures in the United States, assistance with cases that for technical reasons could not be indicted in the US but that could be prosecuted in Mexico, continued collaboration with the PEMEX case, and future assistance in capacity building for the PGRQ,s Federal Ministerial Police (formerly AFI) by vetting and training their officials. Morton replied that DHS would consider helping PGR in prosecuting individuals arrested at United StatesQ, ports of entry (POE) by providing samples of the drug seized, law enforcement evidence certification, photos and footage of drug seizures, and routine reports generated by ICE officials during the arrest. Morton went on to suggest that a pilot program would be established were a Mexican official could be present at the POE. Morton ended by offering to make available to Medina Mora, with his principalQ,s consent, a recent assessment done by DHS on firearms trafficking. ¶14. (C) Comment: MortonQ,s second visit in two months and subsequent press conference were extremely useful. His repeated messages of solid DHS and USG long-term commitment to robust US-Mexico law enforcement partnership, coupled with an insistence that this collaboration be effected with full respect for the rule of law, both hit the mark with key interlocutors. Embassy Mexico will continue to move forward with Merida implementation and appreciates the commitment of senior leaders in the USG to reinforce our core messages through the development of personal relationships with GOM law enforcement decision makers. End Comment. 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 / FEELEY