<<<Back to News Center 2010

Friday, December 10, 2011

U.S. Attorney General: Drug-Related Violence in Puerto Rico is “A National Security Issue That We Have To Confront”

Washington, DC - The Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, acknowledged yesterday that drug-related violence in Puerto Rico “is a national security issue that we have to confront” and responded positively to the proposal made by Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi to establish a “Caribbean Border Initiative” that would substantially increase the resources and personnel that the federal government devotes to fighting drug-related violence in Puerto Rico and other U.S. jurisdictions in the Caribbean region.

The Attorney General’s statement was made yesterday during a hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee, during which the Resident Commissioner spoke about the proposal that he made earlier this week to the U.S. drug “czar,” Gil Kerlikowske.

“I want to mention to you that I have requested that ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske, the drug “czar,” craft what I call a ‘Caribbean Border Initiative,’ something similar to the Southwest Border Initiative. And the reason is straightforward. We are in a crisis in the Caribbean. Homicides are at the worst possible level. More than half of the homicides in Puerto Rico are drug-related. The situation merits particular attention—a similar initiative to the one you have in the Southwest. I hope I can count on your support,” said the Resident Commissioner.

“The point you make is a very good one,” responded the Attorney General, who described the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative that has been utilized to address the problems that confront that region. Holder stated that he was in the Caribbean recently and met with the leaders of several sovereign nations to discuss the drug trafficking problem. Holder also acknowledged that, as U.S. counter-drug efforts in Mexico have achieved success, traffickers have turned increasingly to the Caribbean to transport drugs to the United States, Africa, and Europe.

Pierluisi called the Attorney General’s attention to the fact that the problems in the Caribbean are not limited to drug trafficking through foreign nations, but also affect two U.S. territories in the region: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Very true. And the problem is one that we have to confront. This is a national security issue that we have,” Holder replied.

The Resident Commissioner has been unceasing in his efforts to ensure the federal government provides the resources necessary to combat drug-related violence on the Island. His most recent proposal, the Caribbean Border Initiative, is modeled on the Southwest Border Initiative established by the federal government in 2009, which has resulted in a significant increase in the resources the United States is devoting to the states along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Based on the statements that Attorney General Holder made yesterday on the record, as well as on the conversation I had with him immediately following the hearing, I am confident that we can count on his support to intensify the federal government’s efforts to combat drug-related violence in Puerto Rico,” stated Pierluisi.

###
To watch the exchange between Attorney General Holder and the Resident Commissioner, click here: http://www.c-span.org/Events/Atty-Gen-Holder-Testifies-on-Operation-Fast-and-Furious/10737426112-1/ [Click on “Part 3”].