Message from the Ambassador of the United States of America
March 10, 2006Dear Friends and Colleagues:
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about two recent and important bilateral meetings between leaders of our two countries. While you may have read accounts of these meetings in the press, I would like to give you details of the agreements coming out of the meetings and how they will impact both security in our border region and, I believe, discussions about immigration reform in the United States.
While these two meetings are solid steps in the right direction, we continue to face urgent challenges with respect to security along the border. Almost daily we are reminded by press headlines that continuing violence and drug trafficking threaten our very way of life. Our fight to keep our two countries safe from those who seek to do us harm is a constant battle, and both the United States and Mexico must remain vigilant and committed to the effort.
I would also like to discuss some of our Embassy projects that I believe will have a positive impact on communities throughout Mexico.
On March 3, 2006, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Mexican Secretary of the Interior Carlos Abascal signed an Action Plan in Brownsville, Texas, that calls for law enforcement authorities from both countries to work in concert to curb the tide of violence along our common border. Under the provisions of the Action Plan, the United States and Mexico will jointly respond to cross-border violence as it occurs and apprehend fugitives trying to pass through the border area.
Now, thanks to the leadership of Secretaries Abascal and Chertoff, our two countries will be able to contact each other in real time as a criminal incident is under way and compare maps, response plans, and communications. This closer cooperation between the United States and Mexico will enable us to focus on the criminals we really need to worry about, while ensuring that the flow of legitimate tourism and commerce between our two countries can continue to grow.
Click here to read more about this important meeting and to read the text of the Action Plan
Also on March 3rd, high-ranking Mexican and American lawmakers gathered in Valle de Bravo at the 45th meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group. This year’s meeting was very important, as border legislation and migration reform are about to be debated in the United States Congress. Mexican legislators, led by Senator Silvia Hernandez and Representative Emilio Chuayffet, provided copies of the Mexican Congress’s concurrent resolution on “Mexico and the Migration Phenomenon.”
This resolution, which was passed by the Congress on February 16, 2006, with broad support from across the political spectrum, establishes Mexico’s commitment to generate opportunities within Mexico for its citizens, strengthen its effort against criminal human smuggling organizations, develop both the northern and southern border areas, and reinforce regional cooperation to combat illegal immigration. Also, in the event additional numbers of work visas become available in the United States, the resolution undertakes to ensure that those who leave Mexican territory do so in a legal manner.
The U.S. delegation, led by Senator John Cornyn and Representative Jim Kolbe, applauded the Mexican concurrent resolution as well as the frank exchange of views held with Mexican counterparts. U.S. delegation members offered realistic appraisals of U.S. concerns about border security, and prospects for migration reform. Both sides told me this was one of the best meetings the two groups had ever had. As a sign of this, the Mexican delegates announced that Representative Kolbe, retiring from the House of Representatives this year, would be presented with an award for his contribution to U.S.-Mexico relations. Representatives from the United States also sent an unusual bicameral and bipartisan letter to draw attention to the Mexican concurrent resolution – which they referred to as an “extraordinary document.”
Click here to see the text of the U.S. delegation’s letter
In other news here in our Mission community, on Tuesday, March 7, I traveled to the border to attend an inaugural event for our new $66 million consular facility in Ciudad Juarez. Every year, our consulate in Ciudad Juarez processes thousands of immigrant and non-immigrant visas, and now they will have a better and larger facility to do so. In addition to ultimately making the consular functions in Ciudad Juarez more efficient and secure, the construction of the facility will also enhance the local economy of the city by adding millions of dollars per year in jobs and materials purchased.
Click here for the text of my speech at the inaugural event in Ciudad Juarez
Also, while in Ciudad Juarez, I announced that the U.S. government is donating more than $1 million for four new initiatives that address specific health challenges in Tijuana, Agua Prieta, Monterrey, and Ciudad Juarez along the U.S.-Mexico border. In Tijuana, U.S government funds will support an initiative called “Puentes de Esperanza” addressing multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. In Monterrey, the grant will aid the Instituto Nuevo Amanecer in providing vocational and job skills training for disabled youth. In Agua Prieta, U.S. assistance will go toward the purchase of emergency medical equipment for the General Hospital in Agua Prieta, Sonora. And finally in Ciudad Juarez, we will support combining TB and HIV strategies for advocacy and education for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Click here to read more about these excellent new Health Initiatives
In February, the United States funded a workshop on rural electrification through renewable energy in Acapulco. Mexican government officials and technicians, as well as World Bank representatives, attended the workshop which focused on training and enhancing renewable energy expertise in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Guerrero. Participants learned more about how to maintain renewable energy technologies in rural communities.
Also in February, the United States helped fund a conference called “Water and Sustainable Tourism” in Cancun, Quintana Roo attended by several Mexican government officials. Falling water quality standards pose a major threat to Quintana Roo’s growing tourism industry, and the Meso-American reef system, located along this part of the Yucatan Peninsula, is being threatened by sewage contamination and environmental degradation. The conference focused on improving water quality and sewage treatment along Quintana Roo’s beautiful coastline. The United States, through its Agency for International Development, is providing technical assistance to improve water quality, sewage treatment, and waste disposal, to promote sustainable tourism along Quintana Roo’s coastal region.
Click here to read more about the U.S.-funded workshop on rural electrification
Click here to read more on the conference to promote water quality in Quintana Roo
On February 22, we recognized the Mexican winners of the “Coming Up Taller” awards. Each year, the United States showcases cultural excellence by awarding $10,000 to people and organizations who are instrumental in bringing the benefits of the arts and humanities to children in need. The Margarita Septién Recreation Center of Colima and the Art and Children’s Project of Veracruz , this year’s award winners, were honored by First Lady Laura Bush during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. in January. Only one day earlier, I had the honor of recognizing the great American civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, and his wife, Coretta Scott King, during a speech in front of his statue in the Abraham Lincoln Park in honor of Black History Month.
Click here to read more about the "Coming Up Taller" Awards
Click here for the text of my speech in Lincoln Park
And this week, I hosted an event at the residence in honor of several of the world’s best golfers. The LPGA Tour traveled to Mexico for the second year in a row for the MasterCard Classic. The tournament is being played at the Bosque Real Country Club, and nine of the top 15 female players in the world are playing this week. Defending champion Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, will no doubt be amongst the crowd favorites.
Click here to read more about the LPGA’s event in Mexico
Once again, I thank you for the opportunity to share with you the activities of our Mission in Mexico. As this important month goes by, I will keep you posted on our governments’ continued efforts to resolve our mutual challenges and better the lives of citizens on both sides of our border. May God bless Mexico and the United States.
With best wishes, I am,
Sincerely,
Antonio O. Garza, Jr.
Please email us at EmbajadorGarza@state.gov if you would like for your friends or colleagues to be added to our list of recipients. Also please feel free to forward this message to others. If you are not interested in receiving future updates, of course, please let us know.
Finally, if you would like more information about the events mentioned in this letter or other Embassy initiatives, please visit the "News & Information" section of our website.