S.Amdt. 621

SA 621. Mr. WICKER (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, and Ms.
Ernst) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the
bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for

[[Page S2726]]

other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle D of title X, add the following:

SEC. 1035. ESTABLISHING A COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERING MEXICO'S
CRIMINAL CARTELS.

(a) Sense of the Senate.-- It is the sense of the Senate
that--
(1) countering Mexico's criminal cartels must be a top
national security priority of the United States; and
(2) resources from across the United States Government must
be leveraged to end the devastation that those organizations
have inflicted on the people of the United States.
(b) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President, in consultation
with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the
Secretary of the Treasury, shall designate an existing
official within the executive branch to serve as senior-level
coordinator to coordinate, in conjunction with other relevant
agencies, all defense, diplomatic, intelligence, financial,
and legal efforts to counter the drug- and human-trafficking
activities of Mexico's criminal cartels.
(c) Retention of Authority.--The designation of a
coordinator under subsection (b) shall not deprive any agency
of any authority to independently perform functions of that
agency.
(d) Quarterly Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter
through January 31, 2029, the coordinator designated under
subsection (b) shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a detailed report on the following:
(A) Efforts taken during the previous quarter to bolster
defense cooperation with the Government of Mexico against
Mexico's criminal cartels, and any other activities of the
Department of Defense with respect to countering the cartels,
including in cooperation with the Government of Mexico or
interagency partners.
(B) Diplomatic efforts, including numbers of demarches and
meetings, taken during the previous quarter to highlight and
counter the human rights abuses of Mexico's criminal cartels,
including human trafficking, sex trafficking, other
exploitation of migrants, endangerment of children, and other
abuses.
(C) Diplomatic efforts taken during the previous quarter to
improve cooperation with the Government of Mexico in
countering Mexico's criminal cartels, and a detailed list and
assessment of any actions that the Government of Mexico has
taken during the previous quarter to counter the cartels.
(D) Diplomatic efforts taken during the previous quarter to
improve cooperation with partners and allies in countering
Mexico's criminal cartels.
(E) Efforts taken during the previous quarter to bolster
the screening process at ports of entry to prevent members
and associates of Mexico's criminal cartels, and individuals
who are working for the cartels, from entering or trafficking
drugs, humans, and contraband into the United States.
(F) Efforts taken during the previous quarter to encourage
the Government of Mexico to improve its screening process
along its own ports of entry in order to prevent illicit
cash, weapons, and contraband that is destined for Mexico's
criminal cartels from entering Mexico.
(G) Efforts taken during the previous quarter to
investigate and prosecute members and associates of Mexico's
criminal cartels, including members and associates operating
from within the United States.
(H) Efforts taken during the previous quarter to encourage
the Government of Mexico to increase its investigation and
prosecution of leaders, members, and associates of Mexcio's
criminal cartels within Mexico.
(I) Efforts taken during the previous quarter to initiate
or improve the sharing of intelligence with allies and
partners, including the Government of Mexico, for the purpose
of countering Mexico's criminal cartels.
(J) Efforts taken during the previous quarter to impose
sanctions with respect to--
(i) leaders, members, and associates of Mexico's criminal
cartels; and
(ii) any companies, banks, or other institutions that
facilitate the cartels' human-trafficking, drug-trafficking,
and other criminal enterprises.
(K) The total number of personnel and resources in the
Department of Defense, the Department of State, the
Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice,
and the Department of the Treasury focused on countering
Mexico's criminal cartels.
(2) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified
annex.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Relations, the Committee on the Judiciary, the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the
Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, the Committee on the Judiciary, the
Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on
Financial Services of the House of Representatives.
(2) Mexico's criminal cartels.--The term ``Mexico's
criminal cartels'' means the following:
(A) Criminal organizations the operations of which include
human-trafficking, drug-trafficking, and other types of
smuggling operations across the southwest border of the
United States and take place largely within Mexico, including
the following:
(i) The Sinaloa Cartel.
(ii) The Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
(iii) The Gulf Cartel.
(iv) The Los Zetas Cartel.
(v) The Northeast Cartel.
(vi) The Juarez Cartel.
(vii) The Tijuana Cartel.
(viii) The Beltran-Leyva Cartel.
(ix) The La Familia Michoacana, also known as the Knights
Templar Cartel.
(x) Las Moicas.
(xi) La Empresa Nueva.
(xii) MS-13.
(xiii) The Medellin Cartel.
(B) Any successor organization to an organization described
in subparagraph (A).
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