Secretary Napolitano welcomed first-ever class of ICE-trained Mexican custom officials

Secretary Napolitano welcomed first-ever class of ICE-trained Mexican custom officials

2010-10-23 03:33:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

NORTH CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (BNO NEWS) -- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano welcomed on Friday the first-ever class of ICE-trained Mexican custom officials.

The 10-week, ICE-led investigator training course was held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy in North Charleston, South Carolina. The graduates were twenty-four men and women from Mexico's Tax Administration Service and Customs.

The course comprised coursework in both Mexican and U.S. customs law, as well as training in a wide variety of investigative techniques, officer safety tactics, and ethics.

It was aimed at providing graduates with the tools and knowledge necessary to combat cross-border crime, like money laundering, customs offenses and weapons and drug trafficking, in close coordination with ICE special agents and other U.S. law enforcement officials.

President Obama and Mexican President Calderon committed to secure the Southwest border as well as ensuring the security of both nations through programs like the Merida Initiative. The Mexican customs investigator training course is part of the DHS-led initiative to provide assistance to Mexico and Central America.

The support includes training and equipment to better equip law enforcement agencies to complete their missions. The U.S. allocated $1.4 billion in aid for Mexico through the Merida Initiative.

Over the last year, Secretary Napolitano and her Mexican counterparts have engaged in an unprecedented level of cooperation. One example is the creation of the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BEST) in August 2009.

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