U.S.-Mexican Security Cooperation: the Mérida Initiative and Beyond

Congressional Research Service, Clare Ribando Seelke and Kristin M. Finklea.

With funding for the original Mérida Initiative technically ending in FY2010 and new initiatives underway for Central America and the Caribbean, the Obama Administration proposed a new four-pillar strategy for U.S.-Mexican security cooperation in its FY2011 budget request. That strategy focuses on: 1) disrupting organized criminal groups; 2) institutionalizing the rule of law; 3) building a 21st century border; and 4) building strong and resilient communities. The first two pillars largely build upon existing efforts, whereas pillars three and four broaden the scope of Mérida Initiative programs to include new efforts to facilitate “secure flows” of people and goods through the U.S.-Mexico border and to improve conditions in violence-prone border cities. The Administration’s FY2011 budget request includes $310 million for Mérida programs in Mexico.

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