USCCB: reexamine aid to Mexican military

January 13, 2014

The chairmen of two committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have called upon Secretary of State John Kerry to reexamine the emphasis on military aid given to Mexico under the Mérida Initiative, a 2008 anti-drug and anti-crime agreement.

“An overemphasis on military assistance can be counterproductive,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines. “While there is a role for security assistance, we also urge that an increased proportion of budgetary expenditures attributable to US international aid be allocated to support the fostering of human rights, a just and humane civil society, and broad-based economic development.”

The bishops stated that the Mérida Initiative would be improved by providing “greater support for the development of incorruptible and accountable security forces operating in Mexico (and the United States); strengthening the Mexican judicial system; enhancing economic opportunity in Mexico by means of improved education and training programs to create viable alternatives to criminal careers; promoting agricultural development by providing assistance aimed to support Mexican small and family farmers; expanding programs that target youth unemployment in Mexico; and providing treatment facilities for those already addicted.”

 

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Further information:

• Archbishop Wenski, Bishop Pates Call for Expansion of Humanitarian Aspects of Response to U.S.-Mexican Drug Trafficking (USCCB)
• Full text of letter (USCCB)
• Mérida Initiative (Wikipedia)