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• U.S. Strategy to Combat the Threat of Criminal gangs from Central American and Mexico

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  "Certain criminal gangs pose significant public safety and security threats to the countries in which they operate, including the United States. Of particular concern to the United States, they threaten the U.S. regional interest in fostering stable democracies with free and vibrant economies and the domestic interest in protecting U.S. citizens and communities from the ravages of gang violence and associated criminal activities. U.S. Federal law enforcement agencies consider such gangs as transnational criminal organizations. These transnational gang members are currently migrating to all regions of the United States and are proliferating in areas, particularly rural areas, where neither law enforcement nor the communities they serve are accustomed to addressing these types of gang and criminal dynamics. Historically, such gangs are notoriously violent and exercise a tremendous amount of threats and intimidation, backed up by extreme violence in order to carry out and further their objectives. Gangs such as these are involved in various crimes of opportunity such as drug trafficking, extortion, human smuggling/trafficking and prostitution, thereby making them extremely dangerous and unpredictable. In addition, this threat is amplified by the gangs' recruitment of children near schools, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities, targeting those as young as eight years old."

  United States. Department of State. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

  2007-07-18
• Fact Sheet: The Central America Regional Security Initiative: Disrupt the Movement of Criminals and Contraband

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  "The Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) responds to regional threats by supplementing the strategies and programs Central American nations implement on their own and in cooperation with other countries. CARSI is coordinated with other nations, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society, and the Central American Integration System (SICA), and draws upon the expertise and efforts of like-minded donors supporting the citizen safety goals of Central American countries. […] Narcotics traffickers and other criminal organizations continue to establish trafficking routes to and through Central America, leading to rising domestic drug consumption in Central American countries. The widespread availability of firearms, including weapons trafficked into the region, increases the incidence of violent crimes. The expansion of transnational gangs and their networks across Central America creates communities of fear where gangs effectively control entire neighborhoods. Organized crime seeks to rob governments of taxes and import duties by circumventing legitimate trade routes, reducing the ability of the state to fund and provide basic services to its citizens. Much as the United States has recognized its need to secure its borders, so have the nations of Central America. […] Through CARSI, the United States is working with the nations of Central America to secure the region's borders and to deny territory to drug and arms traffickers, gangs, and other organized criminal organizations that are exploiting the region to further their illicit activities. CARSI provides border security training, technical assistance and advisors, equipment, and investigative support to identify and disrupt trafficking networks and to prevent the movement of criminals and illicit goods within the region. U.S. activities support host nations' interdiction efforts at airports, at sea and land ports of entry, in the littoral waters and airspace of the region, and in the region's remote areas between formal border crossings."

  United States. Department of State. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

  2012-02-12
• Fact Sheet: Central America Regional Security Initiative: State Presence and Security in at-Risk Communities

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  "The Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) responds to regional threats by supplementing the strategies and programs Central American nations implement on their own and in cooperation with other countries. CARSI is coordinated with other nations, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society, and the Central American Integration System (SICA), and draws upon the expertise and efforts of like-minded donors supporting the citizen safety goals of Central American countries. […] Gangs, narcotics traffickers, and organized criminal groups are making significant inroads throughout Central America -- in many instances exerting control over entire communities and in vast areas of territory. Central American governments need more appropriate training, equipment, and political will to regain this lost territory and provide adequate levels of citizen safety, public services, and economic and social activity for citizens of the region. Although countries may suppress organized crime by stepping up law enforcement actions in areas with high criminal activity, few have developed long-term plans for a balanced prevention-intervention-law enforcement approach that addresses the root causes of criminal activity: a lack of access to basic services such as health care, high youth unemployment, insufficient educational opportunities, overburdened and inefficient justice systems, and increased levels of stress on families. […] The United States is assisting Central American governments in re-establishing effective state presence in communities at risk. CARSI supports and fosters community policing initiatives, enhances citizen-based crime prevention programs, develops economic and social programs to provide alternative livelihoods and activities for at-risk youth, and provides academic and technical training to break the cycle of poverty that yields recruits for gangs, traffickers, and organized crime. By taking back the neighborhoods of the region, citizens will again be capable of participating in the social and economic opportunities that can help them rise out of poverty, provide new opportunities for Central America's youth, and increase social inclusion for marginalized groups throughout civil society."

  United States. Department of State. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

  2012-02-06
• Fact Sheet: Central America Regional Security Initiative: Enhanced Levels of Cooperation and Coordination

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  "The Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) responds to regional threats by supplementing the strategies and programs Central American nations implement on their own and in cooperation with other countries. CARSI is coordinated with other nations, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society, and the Central American Integration System (SICA), and draws upon the expertise and efforts of like-minded donors supporting the citizen safety goals of Central American countries.[…] Although each of the countries of Central America faces unique threats to its citizens, many challenges require regional coordination and cooperation. Central American governments share a desire to break the power, violence, and impunity of the region's drug, gang, and criminal organizations and strengthen law enforcement and judicial institutions so they can advance the rule of law, resist corruption, and prevent the spread of organized crime. Central America also seeks greater cooperation with other countries, such as the United States, Colombia and Mexico, for support in securing the region's borders and countering criminal activities originating outside Central America.[…] The United States is moving quickly to help build the capacity of Central American states individually and collectively to arrest and reverse a rapidly deteriorating security environment that jeopardizes citizen safety and the rule of law. A wide range of donors, governments, international financial institutions, and multilateral entities are working to address the Central American security crisis and other development priorities. As efforts to improve the security situation in Central America expand, and donor budgets become strained, the United States, the countries of Central America, and other partners need to focus international assistance as effectively as possible to advance the region's highest priority citizen safety objectives. The United States will forge consensus with our partners in the region, the Central American Integration System (SICA), donor nations, and international organizations to develop citizen safety goals and priorities, and to come to agreement on the effective coordination, rationalization, and streamlining of high-impact programs to make them effective and sustainable."

  United States. Department of State. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

  2012-02-06
• Fact Sheet: Central America Regional Security Initiative: A Shared Partnership

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  "Within Central America, the deteriorating security situation threatens citizen safety. Narcotics traffickers continue to establish trafficking routes to and through Central America. The continued expansion of national and transnational gangs creates communities of fear where gangs are effectively in control. Organized crime--from extortion to corrupt acts by government officials--robs citizens of confidence in their ability to earn a livelihood, provide for their families, and trust public officials for solutions. […] The Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) responds to these threats and supplements the strategies and programs the nations of Central America are implementing on their own and in cooperation with other countries. CARSI is coordinated with other nations, international financial institutions, the private sector, civil society, and the Central American Integration System (SICA). It is a coordinated approach that draws upon the expertise and efforts of like-minded donors supporting the citizen safety goals of Central American countries. […] The $361 million in U.S. CARSI assistance since 2008 supports the following priorities in the Central American countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama: Assist law enforcement and security forces to confront narcotics and arms trafficking, gangs, organized crime, and border security deficiencies, as well as to disrupt criminal infrastructure, routes, and networks; Build the capacity of law enforcement and the justice sector to serve citizens and to address regional threats; and Advance community policing, gang prevention, and economic and social programming for at-risk youth and communities disproportionately affected by crime."

  United States. Department of State. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

  2012-02-06
• U.S. Strategy to Combat the Threat of Criminal Gangs from Central America and Mexico

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  "Certain criminal gangs pose significant public safety and security threats to the countries in which they operate, including the United States. Of particular concern to the United States, they threaten the U.S. regional interest in fostering stable democracies with free and vibrant economies and the domestic interest in protecting U.S. citizens and communities from the ravages of gang violence and associated criminal activities. [...] U.S. and regional experience provides two critical lessons. The first is that reducing gang crime requires a balanced and integrated approach that incorporates effective law enforcement with youth crime prevention and interventions that provide alternatives and opportunities to leave gangs. Schools, community groups, and the private sector have as important a role to play as the policy environment and the justice system. The second lesson is that the approach must be truly regional, with strong bilateral foundations, because success in one jurisdiction may simply transfer the problem to neighboring areas, as gang members move between countries through legal and illegal means. [...] The United States is committed to combating the threat posed by criminal gangs from Central America and Mexico and to working in cooperation with the other countries principally affected by it. Toward that end, the United States will undertake activities in five broad categories: diplomacy, repatriation, law enforcement, capacity enhancement and prevention."

  United States. Department of State. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

  2007-07-18