On the recordApril 21, 2010
I rise today to discuss the related problems of corruption at the U.S. border with Mexico, turf wars between Federal investigators of corruption, and inadequate screening for corruption of law enforcement personnel. Solving these problems is crucial to ensuring we have a system that keeps drugs out, guns in, and maintains an effective defense against efforts by drug cartels to infiltrate parts of the Department of Homeland Security tasked with border security. The Mexican cartels that dominate drug trafficking into the U.S. are sophisticated, ruthless, and well-funded. They operate widely in Mexico through bribery and corruption and smuggle up to $25 billion of illegal drugs as well as people into the U.S. They also smuggle illegal guns and drug money back into Mexico. In 2009, drug violence in Mexico resulted in over 9,600 murders. Already this year there have been over 3,300 murders. Some of the illegal drugs and money goes to and through my State of Arkansas.
