Mike McCaul

I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address that issue.

I am disappointed, frankly, here today that a representative from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms did not make themselves available to testify.

The Mexican government did not have the resources to carry this out.

To call them advisory--gentlemen, they were targeted and attacked for who they are--not for what they do, but for who they are as U.S. law enforcement officials.

I think there are lessons learned from what we did in Colombia that we can be applying in Mexico to help win this war.

I think one of the things that we should be looking at is how can we help Mexico with areas like microlending, and jobs creation?

Cartels kidnap, kill, and mutilate innocent civilians, elected officials, and law enforcement officers.

The Department of Homeland Security must have all the resources and authorities it needs to protect our border.

The narcoterrorism in Mexico is extremely sophisticated, well thought out, strategically planned.

Cooperation with the Mexican government is in the interest of both countries, as is an integrated law enforcement approach to effectively target and defeat the cartels.

You can't look at the crimes one-dimensionally.

I said, 'I am going to make that statement and tell them that a constituent from my 10th Congressional district made that recommendation and I agree.'

I completely agree with you that that targeting, now, of U.S. law enforcement is a game changer, both in Mexico and in the United States.

I would hope that you would be able to continue that support.

You know, Chairman, I applaud you for characterizing these organizations as they should be: Narcoterrorists.

As a former district attorney I have seen first-hand the damage caused by methamphetamine consumption in my district.

I really like the idea of this pilot project that you mentioned, Dr. Ainslie and Professor Bailey.

Our focus must remain on common sense strategies that will aid Mexico in responding to this very serious problem...

Before I yield back my time I would like for all of us today here to remember Special Agent Jaime Zapata.

We don't ask our soldiers to go into combat unarmed, and we should not do the same to our Federal law enforcement agents.

I will say this: While the FBI stats may show that the overall statistics on violent crime may have gone down, violent crime committed against us, law enforcement officers, increased over 41 percent last year and is increasing beyond that…

It is one that I think can't be looked at in a narrow prism, and it is one that I think a lot of the testimony reflected that.

I believe we need all the tools in the toolbox, and designating them as foreign terrorist organizations would give us that.

That is less than we are currently spending in Afghanistan on any given week, and yet I think the stakes in Mexico and the relationship in Mexico and the United States are enormous and certainly of National security implications.

However, he went on to say that we don't perform law enforcement activities there and seemingly minimized the risk we face by describing their role--or our role--there as advisory.