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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

House Appropriations Committee Directs White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to Prepare and Publish a “Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy”

Washington, DC- After many months of work, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi, with the strong backing of Congressman José Serrano (D-NY), successfully included language in the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2013 that will require the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to prepare and publish a “Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy,” a document which will outline the federal government’s plan of action to secure the nation’s Caribbean border against the threat posed by drug trafficking and related violence.

The bill requires the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy to be published within 180 days of the bill’s enactment and to be revised and updated every two years following initial publication. The bill states that, in terms of its contents and organization, the strategy document should be “substantially equivalent” to the Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy and the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, both of which ONDCP prepares and publishes periodically.

“This is an important day. Without an overarching, government-wide strategy to combat drug-related violence in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands—which will serve to coordinate the efforts of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies—it is unlikely that we will see meaningful progress in our mission. However, armed with a clear strategy, and with the proper allocation of federal resources consistent with that strategy, I am confident we can make a real difference,” said the Resident Commissioner.

Pierluisi expressed his gratitude to Congressman Serrano.

“When I asked Congressman Serrano, who is the senior Democrat on the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, whether he would join me and Governor Fortuño in our effort, he did not hesitate. As he has done before on so many occasions, he rose to the challenge and helped get the job done. I must also thank Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson from Missouri, the Chairwoman of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, who worked with me and Congressman Serrano to include this language in the bill,” said the Resident Commissioner.

Congressman Serrano expressed great satisfaction with today’s achievement.

“I am pleased that at the request of Resident Commissioner Pierluisi, we are directing the Office of National Drug Control Policy to create a Caribbean Counternarcotics plan. My friend Pedro Pierluisi has been a tireless advocate for addressing drug trafficking problems in Puerto Rico and his leadership helped persuade committee members to accept this step. The lack of a counternarcotics plan for the Caribbean showed that yet again the federal agencies must always be reminded that our Federal responsibilities do not stop at the tip of Florida. We must constantly remind them that all the territories deserve the same planning and attention as the 50 states. We have a victory in that fight today, but we will continue to be vigilant. Puerto Rico must get fair treatment by the federal government in all areas—but above all on security issues,” said Serrano.

The Resident Commissioner has been on a mission to highlight the need for the federal government to develop a well-coordinate and well-funded counter-drug strategy for the U.S. territories in the Caribbean, making his case to senior officials in the White House, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Office of Counternarcotics and Global Threats within the Department of Defense.

Pierluisi Questions Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration

Also today, at a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, the Resident Commissioner questioned the top official at the Drug Enforcement Administration, Michelle Leonhart, who assured him that the DEA is well aware of the drug-related violence problem in Puerto Rico, that the agency has increased the number of agents it has assigned to the Island by nearly 15 percent in recent years, and that additional increases could be forthcoming.