Steve Peacock's U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor

Patriot Update: Obama Seeks to Raise Global Competitiveness—In Mexico

My latest from Patriot Update. - S.P.

In terms of global competitiveness, Mexico ranks 58th among 142 nations—and U.S. taxpayers are stepping in to help raise that ranking.

Increased credit access, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, is one of the targeted improvements the Obama Administration is hoping to accomplish through the Mexico Competitiveness Project II, or MCP II.

A $22 million contract that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded to Abt Associates, Inc., will support Mexican-government efforts to help businesses as well as to institute system-wide reforms.

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Obama's Plan to Make Illegals Comfy

Inmates must have 'abundant natural light,' 'ample recreation,' 'aerobics'

As the U.S. Department of Homeland Security expands its outsourcing of detention  across the nation, potential contractors are being forewarned to abide by the Obama administration’s kinder, gentler approach to detaining illegal aliens.

DHS Immigration & Customs Enforcement most recently embarked upon the outsourcing plan in Georgia, where it will continue to push the administration’s reform agenda to create a civil, rather than penal, processing system.

According to contracting documents that U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor located through routine database research, the Georgia outsourcing endeavor requires providers to offer detainees, among other perks, “abundant natural light throughout the facility [and] ample indoor and outdoor recreation that allows for vigorous aerobic exercise with extended hours of availability.”

ICE recently issued a Request for Information from potential contractors in which the agency intends to assign detention responsibilities to private sector entities that will build new facilities, renovate existing structures or leverage a combination of the two.

The agency acknowledged that some detainees may have a criminal history or suffer from mental illness. In those cases, it would require the contractor to separate such persons into a medium- or maximum-security area.

Other detainees, however, would be accommodated with various services and conditions, such as:

• Four hours per day of outdoor recreation and ideally a minimum of two hours recreation in a gymnasium during inclement weather.
• Private showers and restrooms (where practicable).
• Cafeteria-style meal service.
• Non-institutional detainee clothing.
• “Contact visitation,” including special arrangements for visiting families, with extended hours including nights and weekends.
• Private areas for attorney-client visits, with video teleconferencing capabilities.
• Noise control.
• Enhanced, but controlled, freedom of movement.
• Enhanced law library and legal resources.
• “Enhanced programming,” including religious services and social programs and dedicated space for religious services.

ICE tentatively is looking for space in Georgia to hold about 2,000 male detainees – up to 600 who would be categorized a low-security, 900 as medium-security and 400 designated as a high-security population. Capacity for an additional 100 detainees would be divided between administrative detention and mental health units.

DHS in recent months launched additional searches for contractors offering detention, transportation, and food services in cities such Chicago, Miami and Houston.

The projects come at a time when the push for immigration reform – in varying forms – is heating up both on Capitol Hill and at the White House.

Indeed, in the House Committee on the Judiciary’s first hearing of the 113th Congress, Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., emphasized that the American people and members of Congress “have a lot of questions about how our legal immigration system should work.”

“They have a lot of questions about why our immigration laws have not always been sufficiently enforced.”

Goodlatte pointed out that while reform could greatly affect U.S. citizens, legal residents, and illegal aliens alike, he affirmed the principle that “America is a nation of immigrants. … But we are also a nation of laws.”

In response to that hearing, the immigrant-advocacy group Detention Watch Network reiterated its call to repeal mandatory detention laws.

Emily Tucker, DWN director of policy and advocacy, said in a statement: “While we are excited about the momentum to finally create a path to citizenship for millions of people, immigration reform must include the reform of our wasteful and inhumane detention and deportation system.

“Neither the White House’s nor Senate’s plans respond to years of community outrage about border and interior enforcement programs that have separated families, violated due process rights, and led to serious human rights abuses,” she said.

The DWN statement indicated that the committee reportedly is due to introduced a draft immigration-reform bill this week.

The Heritage Foundation says, “So far there is no actual bill – just a set of “principles” for the promised legislation.”

Jessica Zuckerman, research associate at Heritage, said in an issue brief, “These principles, however, do not adequately address the tough issues that have to be tackled to provide lasting and beneficial fixes that strengthen the U.S. economy, security, and civil society.”

Similarly, she added that the White House recently announced its own set of immigration reform principles, while promising to introduce an “even more comprehensive bill if Congress does not move fast enough.”

Zuckerman warned, however, that “if both initiatives do nothing more than reintroduce confusing, complicated, and contentious bills similar to the failed ‘comprehensive’ bill of 2007, then our nation will be poorly served by these latest efforts.”

A similar version of this article was published via WND on Feb. 15, 2013. Under agreement with WND, rights have reverted back to the author, Steve Peacock.

U.S. Launches 'Flagship Project' to Reform Mexican Justice System

Continued modernization of the Mexican criminal justice system purportedly will help stem "the drug-fueled violence that has threatened citizens on both sides of the border," according to the Obama Administration. Obama through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) consequently has launched a new program called the Mexico Promoting Justice Project, also known as PROJUST, which will attempt system reform in several Mexican states.

PROJUST will infuse an unspecified level of additional taxpayer dollars to "support comprehensive criminal justice reform that adheres to Mexican and international human rights standards implemented at state and federal levels."

USAID/Mexico seeks to enhance broader U.S. and Mexican government efforts "to mitigate conflict, reduce impunity, and promote a more transparent and efficient justice system." PROJUST specifically will support the Merida Initiative, a partnership the two nations launched in 2008 to share such responsibilities.

The U.S. Congress appropriated $1.6 billion since the initiative started, according to the U.S. Department of State.

PROJUST is considered to be the "USAID flagship project" that will enable the Obama Administration to achieve the following results:

1) Legislative framework enacted for criminal justice reform; and

2) Strengthened institutional and human capacity to implement criminal justice reform.

USAID anticipates awarding a five-year cost reimbursement completion contract for PROJUST, which is expected to begin around July 2013.

Hearing: “Emerging Threats and Security in the Western Hemisphere: Next Steps for U.S. Policy.”

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, October 13, will host a hearing titled, “Emerging Threats and Security in the Western Hemisphere: Next Steps for U.S. Policy.” The committee announced that it will examine “current trends and security challenges in Latin America, including drug trafficking, extremism, illicit financing, and the increasing influence of rogue regimes.” It will review U.S. security assistance and policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, and U.S. priorities in the region.

The following witnesses have been called to testify:

1) The Honorable William R. Brownfield, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State;

2) The Honorable Philip S. Goldberg, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State;

3) The Honorable Daniel L. Glaser, Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing, Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, U.S. Department of Treasury;

4) General Douglas Fraser (Invited), Commander, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Department of Defense.

The event will be held in room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC, and also will be available via live video through the committee’s website.

U.S. Considers Funding Various Mexican Energy Projects

The U.S. Trade & Development Agency (USTDA) is weighing whether it should help finance a trio of energy projects in Mexico; however, prior to making those decisions, the agency will award consulting contracts to U.S. vendors to assess the viability of those respective endeavors.

The first initiative is titled the “Zacatecas Wind Power Project Feasibility Study,” whose stated objective is to:

enable the development of a 70 MW wind power generation project in the Municipality of Zacatecas. The Feasibility Study will allow the Grantee to assess available wind power resources, verify the power demand profile, evaluate the financial value of wind power in comparison to existing power supply arrangements, and draft legal documents and agreements.

A $501,000 USTDA-funded grant will be used to pay the selected contractor on behalf of the municipal government of Zacatecas. (Solicitation #2011-51023A)

Separately, USTDA is seeking a contractor to perform the Zacatecas Landfill Gas Pilot Project Feasibility Study, whose goal is to:

enable the development of a 3 MW landfill gas collection and power generation pilot project in the Municipality of Zacatecas. The Feasibility Study will allow the Grantee to assess recoverable landfill gas resources, conduct a preliminary conceptual design, and draft legal documents and agreements.

The municipal government of Zacatecas likewise will reap the benefits of a USTDA-funded grant, in this case via a $278,000 payment to a selected contractor. (Solicitation #2011-51022A).

The third Mexican project that USTDA unveiled is the Baja California Wind Power Project Feasibility Study, whose stated objective is to:

enable the supply of 100 MW of wind power to state government office buildings and facilities in the State of Baja California in Mexico. The Feasibility Study will allow the Grantee to assess available wind power resources, verify the power demand profile, evaluate the financial value of wind power in comparison to existing power supply arrangements, and draft legal documents and agreements.

The firm selected will be paid via a $374,000 USTDA grant on behalf of the state government of Baja California, Mexico, in conjunction with that government’s State Energy Commission. (Solicitation #2011-51021A).

U.S. Seeks to Fill Crime-Prevention Advisor Slots in Mexico

The U.S. government is deploying law enforcement advisors to Mexico to assist that nation in stepping up activities of an anti-crime endeavor known as the Merida Initiative. The U.S. Agency for International (USAID) is recruiting private contractors capable of carrying out the duties of a pair of positions titled: (1) Senior Crime Prevention Advisor/Pillar IV Team Leader (Solicitation #SOL-523-11-000003); and: (2) Senior Rule of Law Advisor/Pillar II Team Leader. (Solicitation #SOL-523-11-000002).

The U.S. State Dept. describes the Merida Initiative as:

a multi-year program to provide equipment and training to support law enforcement operations and technical assistance for long-term reform and oversight of security agencies. In 2008, Congress approved an initial $400 million for Mexico and $65 million for Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. In 2009, Congress approved $300 million for Mexico and $110 million for Central America, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. In 2010, $450 million for Mexico and $100 million for Central America has been requested from Congress.

Both advisor slots pay in the $84,697–$110,104 range.

FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S USAID PAGE.

FOR ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES, PLEASE VISIT THE MONITOR'S LAW ENFORCEMENT/POLICE PAGE.

Senate Panel Questions Whether $3.1 Billion in 'Drug War' Contracts Were Worthwhile

The federal government doled out $3.1 billion in contracts to vendors in the "War on Drugs" from 2005-2009 in Latin America alone, but has no clue whether this outsourcing was effective in helping to achieve its counternarcotics goals, a Senate panel has determined.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, yesterday (June 8) released the report, "New Information About Counternarcotics Contracts in South America."

The following is a verbatim transcript of the report's Executive Summary:

At the request of Senator Claire McCaskill, this analysis examines State Department and Defense Department spending on contracts to supply counternarcotics assistance to governments in Latin America. The analysis reviews counternarcotics contract spending over a five year period focusing primarily on eight countries: Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Haiti, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.

The analysis finds that from 2005 to 2009, the federal government’s annual spending on counternarcotics contracts in Latin America rose by 32%, from $482 million in 2005 to $635.8 million in 2009. In total, the government spent more than $3.1 billion on counternarcotics contracts during this period.

Key findings in the analysis include:

From 2005 to 2009, the majority of counternarcotics contracts in Latin America went to only five contractors: DynCorp, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, ITT, and ARINC, who collectively received contracts worth over $1.8 billion.

The State Department and the Defense Department spent nearly $2 billion on counternarcotics contracts in Colombia alone from 2005 to 2009.

More than half (52%) of counternarcotics contract dollars during this time period were spent to acquire goods and services related to aircraft, which are used for drug location and eradication. In total, the federal government spent approximately $1.6 billion on aircraft-related services, maintenance, logistics, support, equipment, and training from 2005 to 2009.

Neither the State Department nor the Defense Department has adequate systems in place to track counternarcotics contract data. Testifying before the Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight in 2010, Defense Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counternarcotics and Global Threats William Wechsler called the Defense Department’s processes for managing counternarcotics contracts “inconsistent,” “time-consuming and error prone.” The State Department simply does not have a centralized system to collect or track this type of information.

While spending on counternarcotics contracts increased by 32% over the five year period under review, contract management and oversight has been insufficient, and has not kept pace with the government’s increased reliance on contractors.

The federal government does not have any uniform systems in place to track or evaluate whether counternarcotics contracts are achieving their goals.

The complete report also is available for download (.pdf, 501.65 kb).

Many thanks to David Isenberg, author of Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq (Praeger Security International), for alerting the Monitor to this report via his blog The PMSC Observer (free; registration required).

 

New U.S.-Funded Mexican Environmental Program Slated for Fall -- Project Will 'Fill Gaps," Not Duplicate, Seven Other Programs

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated Aug. 13, 2012.

A major program to reduce “greenhouse gas” (GHG) emissions in Mexico -- the eighth of its kind -- will unfold in the fall, courtesy of the U.S. government. The endeavor, which is known as the Mexico Low Emissions Development, or MLED, program, is being seen as the “cornerstone” of the Obama Administration’s “global climate change” (GCC) policy for Mexico.

According to a Statement of Work (.pdf, 2.4 MB) that U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor located via routine federal-database research, the aim of MLED is to reduce Mexican energy consumption, encourage the deployment of “clean energy” technologies, reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation, and hasten institutional and legislative changes within Mexico’s government.

The SOW points out that the new endeavor will complement existing U.S. environmental programs in Mexico—seven programs, in fact, that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) says it expects will “continue into the life of the MLED Program.” The selected contractor for the three-year program will “fill in the gaps” rather than duplicate the following programs:

1. The USAID/Mexico REDD+ Program (M-REDD) (procurement action in process) will address greenhouse gas mitigation actions in the forestry sector. It will focus specifically on support for Mexico’s national REDD+ strategy, policies, and institutions, while also promoting civil society engagement in REDD+ and supporting field demonstration projects that may have large scale applications.

2. The Mexico Competitiveness Program (MCP), under its Clean Energy component, works with GOM, state, and local counterparts to support clean energy generation through a combination of policy and regulatory assistance. Under its Sustainable Environmental Management component, the MCP works with GOM counterparts to help Mexico develop and implement its REDD+ strategy as well as land use strategies that seek to provide sustainable development and greenhouse gas benefits in the context of economy-wide low carbon strategies. Some GCC activities initiated under this program will be transferred to the MLED Program. (See www.procomex.org).

3. The Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (EC-LEDS) Initiative, co-managed by USAID/Washington’s Global Climate Change Team and USAID/Mexico, supports Mexico’s efforts to develop long-term strategic approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while accelerating sustainable economic growth. This program involves a range of USG Agencies including the State Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Treasury, among others. Efforts involving Mexico and initiated under this program with funding from USAID/Washington in FY11 will be transferred to the USAID/Mexico Global Climate Change Program and incorporated into the MLED Program.

4. A Participating Agency Services Agreement (PASA) with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides technical assistance to strengthen Mexico’s capacity to reduce GHG emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Assistance includes technical transfer and collaboration from the U.S. Forest Service to its GOM counterparts (CONAFOR, CONANP, etc.) to develop and implement tools and policies related to REDD+ and MRV.

5. The Alliance on Expansion of Municipal Development through Infrastructure Financing in Mexico with Evensen Dodge International supports renewable energy generation through technical assistance on financing options to Mexican states and/or municipalities that are seeking to use renewable energy for self-supply and/or export to the United States.

6. A cooperative agreement with The Council of State Governments includes activities that support policy and institutional strengthening as well as financing for renewable energy.

7. The Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships (TIES) Partnership Initiative supports relationships between U.S. and Mexican universities to address common development problems identified by Mexican higher education institutions and their public and private partners. USAID expects to sponsor university partnerships addressing climate change through this initiative.

A three-year base-period contract with two potential one-year options are expected to be awarded for the MLED program around September 2011. USAID did not disclose an estimated cost of the initiative.UPDATE: USAID on Nov. 10. 2011 revealed that it awarded -- two months earlier -- a $19.5 million contract for the project to Tetra Tech ES, Inc.

U.S. Helps Fund Mexican Road Projects As Industry Flees To Asia

The U.S. Trade & Development Agency (USTDA) soon will embark upon a second and significantly larger phase of a project that seeks to improve Mexico's national transportation and shipping infrastructure. The reason? According to recent USTDA planning documents obtained by The Peacock Report, it's simple: "Mexico has recently suffered from lost manufacturing jobs to Asia and is searching for methods to regain its competitiveness."

As partners with Mexico and Canada in the North American Free Trade Agreement, better known as NAFTA, the U.S. can -- indeed, must -- help solve the tragic loss of jobs in Mexico to Asia. This new “multimodal” transportation and shipping project comes less than a year after the USTDA partially financed the construction of the Tijuana Intermodal Terminal initiative in Northwest Mexico.

A goal of the new export hub was to remedy “lack of adequate and efficient transportation infrastructure“ in and around Tijuana, Mexico, another USTDA contracting document said.

In other words, as of last year there hadn't been enough of U.S. manufacturing jobs that disappeared overseas and south of the border.

The “free-market“ gurus in Washington, D.C. therefore wanted to make it easier for Mexico-based industry to conduct business. The sweatshops in the Tijuana region -- which, according to the TDA, ship out 3,000 truckloads of raw materials and finished goods on a daily basis -- were hampered by Mexico's inadequate roads, bridges and border crossings. Our neighbor to the south needed a centralized site for its maquiladoras to efficiently export goods.

Hence, the U.S. taxpayer came to the rescue! How else can U.S. citizens ensure that Mexican industry gets its products, as the document points out, to the “Union Pacific [railway] distribution lines in the Southwest U.S.? Come on, don't be upset. Don't blame your elected officials for allegedly squandering your hard-earned money. I mean, how else do we enhance “regional competitiveness through reduced costs related to cargo management and shipment?

That explains it. (1) U.S. manufacturers first fled to Mexico. (2) Some of those same businesses eventually slipped away to Asia. The federal bureaucracy therefore had to help Mexico build up its national infrastructure so it doesn't continue to get walloped by Asia.

One final note: ironically, Rep. Don Sherwood (R-PA-10th Dist.), who represents my economically challenged home-region of Northeastern Pennsylvania, is co-chairman of the House Appropriations Foreign Operations Subcommittee -- the congressional panel with direct oversight of the corporate welfare barons at USTDA.