| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC July 18, 2007 Strategy to Combat Criminal Gangs from Central America and MexicoAssistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. today announced the U.S. Strategy to Combat Criminal Gangs from Central America and Mexico at a security meeting in Guatemala City with the seven Central American countries. This comes three months after President George W. Bush’s Latin America tour when he met with Guatemalan President Oscar Berger Perdomo, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon to discuss the severity of the security situation in Central America. The Presidents also discussed the threats that gangs pose to both the United States and Latin America, and development of a regional strategy to combat gangs and other transnational threats in Central America.
The U.S. Strategy to Combat Criminal Gangs from Central America and Mexico is part of a developing regional security plan. The Strategy is aimed at both prevention and enforcement. It will help prevent youth from entering gangs and strengthen the fight against gang-related violence and other crimes. The United States will work with partner countries to combat transnational and other gangs that commit crimes in Central America, Mexico, and the United States. We will work with our neighbors to combat criminal gangs through diplomacy, repatriation, law enforcement, capacity enhancement, and prevention. The Strategy to Combat Criminal Gangs from Central America and Mexico will increase communication and information sharing at all levels of government and between governments. Many elements of the strategy already are underway. Implementation involves most U.S. agencies, including the U.S. Departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security and the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as partner governments in the region. This strategy enhances U.S. interagency and international cooperation, increases coordination, and systematically enhances linkages between foreign governments and U.S. Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies. 2007/606 |
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