WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has joined Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), along with Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS), in reintroducing a resolution on U.S.-Mexico relations.
“It’s critical for the United States and Mexico to have a strong, transparent, and reciprocal partnership for the security and prosperity of our two nations and the stability of the Western Hemisphere,” said Senator Hagerty. “I implore Presidents Biden and López Obrador to champion the integrity of the USMCA, effectively address the national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border, halt once and for all the deadly flow of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors from China through Mexico and into American communities, and find opportunities to attract investment and unlock the economic opportunity presented by the global rebalancing of supply chains away from Communist China.”
“The United States and Mexico have many shared interests, including a more secure, prosperous, and democratic Western Hemisphere,” said Senator Risch. “Unfortunately, these interests are undermined by the ongoing security crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, as detailed in my committee report last year, and the erosion of the security and economic conditions in Mexico. It is time the United States and Mexico take meaningful action to effectively combat transnational criminal activities, including the illicit trafficking of fentanyl, promote private sector investments and the integrity of the USMCA, and strengthen the institutions needed to address the negative influence of China and Russia in our hemisphere. I hope the committee will vote on this measure soon.”
This resolution:
- Reaffirms support for mutually beneficial U.S.-Mexico relations, including stronger economic engagement.
- Expresses concerns about the worsening investment climate in Mexico and encourages the Biden Administration to defend U.S. economic interests by upholding the integrity of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.
- Urges the Biden Administration to address the humanitarian and security crisis at the U.S. southern border by establishing effective immigration controls in the United States, targeting U.S. foreign assistance efforts to strengthen border security and migration management capacities in the region, and leveraging existing bilateral extradition treaties and the Palermo Protocols to prosecute transnational criminal actors facilitating illegal migration to the United States.
- Calls for the prioritization of a detailed plan to reduce the production and trafficking of illicit narcotics in Mexico, including fentanyl produced with precursor chemicals from China.
- Encourages the government of Mexico to also take action to address the items above.
Full text of the resolution can be found here.
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