To read the text of Gov. Fortuño’s testimony, click here.
Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño testified this week before a key U.S. House panel to address the building national security threat posed by transnational drug trafficking organizations infiltrating the country and endangering the safety of over 4 million U.S. citizens living along the U.S. Caribbean Border.
Governor Fortuño, who has repeatedly called on the federal government to strengthen the U.S. response to the threat, testified before a hearing of the U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management titled, “U.S.-Caribbean Border: Open Road for Drug Traffickers and Terrorists.”
“Today, Puerto Rico is serving as the last line of defense in the Caribbean to prevent drugs and violence from reaching the U.S. mainland. This has driven Puerto Rico’s murder rate to six times the national average and more than twice as high as any state,” Gov. Fortuño said.
“The Government of Puerto Rico is doing everything within our limited jurisdiction and resources, but this situation has greatly tested our resolve,” the Governor said. “We cannot fight this war alone, nor should we be required to do so. This is a shared responsibility. The consequences affect us all.”
Fortuño said the U.S. Caribbean Border is increasingly being used as a transshipment zone for cocaine and other drugs destined for mainland U.S. markets, with an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the Colombian cocaine reaching Puerto Rico shipped on to U.S. cities across the eastern seaboard, from Florida to New York.
Once the drugs are on U.S. soil in Puerto Rico, they are easily delivered to the states, through commercial airlines and container ships, without having to clear Customs or other heightened scrutiny. Traffickers vying for lucrative drug territory have detonated a wave of violence.
“This is truly a national security threat. The federal government must take responsibility for guaranteeing the safety and security of America’s Caribbean Border, the safety and security of the more than 4 million U.S. citizens who live there, and the safety and security of stateside communities impacted by the flow of drugs and violence.”
According to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area’s 2011 drug market analysis, most of the cocaine smuggled into the country by South American traffickers is sent to the Dominican Republic then on to Puerto Rico, where it is transshipped to major cities in Florida like Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando, as well as Albany, Newark and Rochester in the northeast.
Puerto Rico is in turn a destination for illicit drug money and illegal firearms coming from the U.S. mainland to fortify drug trafficking networks. Large drug trafficking organizations are putting illegal proceeds into bank accounts in Puerto Rico, then funneling the money to accounts in Asia, Europe, and even the Middle East.
Recent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) data confirms illegal firearms used to commit crimes in Puerto Rico can be traced back to more than 20 states – with Florida, Texas, Georgia and Ohio being the biggest sources last year.
‘When American lives are in danger, we have a moral obligation to protect them wherever they may be. Unless Washington acts, these criminal organizations will only strengthen their foothold in the region,” Fortuño said.
“Yet Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were barely mentioned in the annual National Drug Control Strategy. Vacancies at key federal law enforcement agencies in Puerto Rico go unfilled. We must act with greater urgency.”
According to information provided by the agencies, DEA has a vacancy rate of 12%, ICE has a vacancy rate of 15%, and ATF has a staggering vacancy rate of 39%, Fortuño said. An insufficient number of CBP agents are available to patrol the eastern coast of the Island, which has been a growing target for traffickers.
“I have repeatedly called on the President and senior federal law enforcement officials to establish a U.S. Caribbean Border Initiative to be led by the White House and the Office of National Drug Control Policy,” the Governor said. “All I am seeking from the federal government is the same level of commitment that has been provided to combat the drug trade along the Southwest and Northern borders.”
Noting the threat the traffickers pose to U.S. mainland communities, Fortuño said a contingent of U.S. governors have joined him in calling on the President to create a Caribbean Border strategy, including the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Right now, Puerto Rico is serving as the last line of defense. We need help fighting this battle along the Caribbean border, to protect the U.S. citizens there being buffeted by violence and to prevent the fight from spreading further onto the streets of the U.S. mainland,” Gov. Fortuño said. “We cannot win without the active involvement of the federal government to secure all of our nation’s borders. Our constituents deserve and expect no less.”
