Posted on 08/14/2007 11:57:48 AM PDT by yorkie
Mexican and U.S. customs officials signed an agreement Monday aimed at fighting contraband and terrorism while streamlining trade across the border.
The agreement sets up four working groups to encourage cooperation between agencies on both sides of the border, which sees more than $320 billion in trade cross each year, said Mexico Customs Administrator Juan Jose Bravo.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Ralph Basham said the agreement represents a mutual desire of the United States and Mexico to protect their people and economies.
Basham said the relationship with Mexico is crucial to the U.S. customs and border patrol agency's mission of keeping "terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the United States - and to do so without slowing down the flow of legitimate trade."
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Does illegal immigration count as trade.
Ok, so they’re more concerned about making new legislation to control people going over to ol’ Mejico and buying Kahlua and medicine really cheap than they are about enforcing the legislation we already have to keep out terrorists and illegal immigrants? This is so asinine.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Ralph Basham and Mexico Customs Administrator General Juan Jose Bravo today signed a Bilateral Strategic Plan (BSP) recognizing the longstanding relationship and cooperation on customs and border security issues between their agencies.
The agreement establishes principles the United States and Mexico will follow in the exploration and deployment of projects to enhance the flow of commerce and the security of the border.
"This agreement officially recognizes the critical nature of strategic cooperation and collaboration between the United States and Mexico," said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Julie Myers. "The working groups established under this plan will help ensure that critical information is shared in a more timely manner and that issues of enforcement, security and trade are managed more efficiently, to the ultimate benefit and safety of both nations."
"This bilateral plan will strengthen cooperation in matters related to law enforcement by expanding existing institutional cooperation mechanisms and establishing new collaboration programs designed to fight contraband trafficking, smuggling of prohibited goods, fraud, and related crimes," said Commissioner Basham. "CBP, ICE and Mexican Customs will expand existing cooperation in matters related to law enforcement, integrity, trade facilitation, border management, customs-trade partnerships, security and business resumption."
The BSP stems from a Declaration of Principles (DOP) that was signed on June 8, 2007, by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Mexican Ministry of Finance and Public Credit Secretary Agustin Carstens. The DOP established joint goals for customs cooperation and called for the development of a BSP. Through the BSP, CBP, ICE and Mexican Customs will implement working groups to address joint goals and long-term projects.
I had to go to the Mexican Embassy web site to find out. (Declaration of Principles on Customs Cooperation Between Mexico and the US)
Washington, D.C., June 08, 2007
Agustín Carstens, the Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico and Michael Chertoff, the US Secretary of Homeland Security signed a Declaration of Principles on Customs Cooperation, in which both agencies are committed to increase cooperation and improve coordination between their customs to increase efficiency and safety in both customs clearance offices. Arturo Sarukhan, Ambassador of Mexico, along with high ranking officials from both nations, was present at the event.
The Declaration has seven general goals that include subjects such as cooperation to strengthen personnel integrity, automation of all the processes, daily coordination of operations and infrastructure projects along the border, expansion programs of exclusive FAST/Express lanes, strengthening actions related to institutional law enforcement, increase cooperation in terms of safety particularly in the case of merchandise shipments that by nature require special controls and the creation of restoration programs for commercial/customs activities in case of disasters or emergencies.
In order to get desirable results, the Declaration establishes the development of a Bilateral Customs Strategic Plan that will allow implementation of the previously agreed seven goals.
During the signing ceremony, Secretary Carstens stated that with this agreement “we are ratifying our desire and commitment to strengthen existing mechanisms of customs cooperation between Mexico and the United States and starting a new phase in our long and productive relationship and mutual collaboration.”
One of the elements that stands out in the Declaration of Principles is the fact that for the first time customs clearance offices of both nations are committed to explore long term joint projects. Ministry Carstens stated: “indeed, because customs clearance offices play such an important role in safety management, tax collection, and protection of public health, among others; efficiency and effectiveness of their performance have a direct impact in our competitiveness. For this reason, we must begin a long term strategic plan for customs clearance offices with our main commercial and neighboring partner, the United States.”
On the other hand, Juan Jose Bravo, Mexico Customs Administrator General, said that with “the Bilateral Customs Strategic Plan within the Declaration of Principles, we will incorporate initiatives that vary from personnel training to the implementation of the cutting-edge technology to supervise the entrance and exit of shipments towards, from, and through our territories”. He stated that “we are also committed to developing mechanisms that will allow us to become more efficient across the border and to grant tangible benefits to responsible users”.
According to the mandate of both Secretaries, the Bilateral Customs Strategic Plan will be signed in following weeks by Mr. Juan Jose Bravo, Mexico Customs Administrator General, Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Mr. Ralph Basham, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
And where does Congress fit in, here? What about the will of the people?
How much is this *increment* of the NAU going to cost us?
“Funny how neither our State dept. nor Department Of Homeland Security web sites have any info on this Declaration of Principles.”
Keeps those pesky Americans out of the loop.
“where does Congress fit in, here? What about the will of the people?”
First Tuesday in November, `08: the fit hits the shan,
again.
The agreement sets up four working groups
No more fricken working groups! They are an end run around the Constitution. I didn’t elect anyone in these working groups, did you?
Why do I get the feeling that the so called "flow of commerce"should read flow of cheap labor?
.
You didn’t elect anyone in the Defense Department, either.
Those are departments created by the federal government, usually Congress whom we did elect.
Not people handpicked for a non-sanctioned non-department.
Big difference.
Michael Chertoff is a duly confirmed Cabinet-level officer, as is Robert Gates. They have countless civilians under their commands, none of whom you voted for.
Working groups are just passing the buck so that people who are paid to do their jobs don’t have to.
I think you mean that people are “passing the buck” to working-groups. It’s otherwise known as “delegation of tasks.”
No, did anyone elect any of these people?
Thanks for the post.
I am afraid this country is going to get trashed big time next week in Canada at the SPP meeting. No doubt everything is already decided between the 3 countries without any oversite by congress. A nice big sell out of the USA by the liberals or compassionate conservatives.
And the amusing part of this is they really believe there will be no payback for treason.
There will be.
This administration has been so sneaky that I am worried about next week. Bush only has a few years left to push his socialist agenda. I am afraid of what will go on behind our backs next week.
Hopefully, there will be payback for treason.
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