Plan Mexico Legislation Update from CIP

Last night the Senate approved the 2008 supplemental appropriations bill. (Best recorded vote title ever: "Motion To Concur In House Amendments To Senate Amendment To House Amendment To Senate Amendment To H.R. 2642.") The final bill, now on its way to the President, includes $400 million for Mexico, "of which not less than $73,500,000 shall be used for judicial reform, institution building, anti-corruption, and rule of law activities." An additional $65 million will go to Central America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.Human rights conditions over aid to Mexico were softened significantly, changed to be less stringent than either the House's or Senate's versions of the bill. The final bill does nonetheless require that human rights cases be investigated and tried by civilian prosecutors "in accordance with Mexican and international law." The earlier language had triggered a "violation of sovereignty" outcry from the Mexican government. This morning, though, the Mexican government said that it found the final bill's human-rights conditions acceptable.

Extrajudicial Executions Carried Out by State Agents Are Increasing in Colombia

In the five years between July 1997 and June 2002, according to the Colombian human rights groups’ collective database, a total of 577 extrajudicial executions were perpetrated by state agents. During the five years from July 2002 through June 2007, the rate of extrajudicial executions by state agents increased by nearly 66%, with a total of 955 cases. The Miami Herald reported on this today, click here for more. More reason to not certify Colombia to receive the remaining aid from last year or sign the trade agreement.