State Department and INL say U.S.-Mexico security cooperation has intensified as extraditions, seizures rise

WASHINGTON — Senior State Department and Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs officials told a House subcommittee that cooperation with Mexico on cartel enforcement has increased markedly under the current administration, but that more Mexican investment and anti‑corruption work remain necessary.

Katherine Duholme, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said the United States and Mexico “established a high level security implementation group to coordinate concrete actions to dismantle the narcoterrorist groups and the fentanyl crisis,” and credited recent transfers of high‑value targets to U.S. custody. She added that the administration will use the upcoming USMCA review and diplomatic channels to press Mexico on issues that affect shared U.S. interests.

Chris Landberg, the senior bureau official for INL, cited enforcement results and training programs supported by INL. He told lawmakers that INL supported vetted units dismantled 29 synthetic drug producing labs, helped seize large quantities of precursors and methamphetamine‑producing materials, and backed operations that transferred dozens of major cartel figures to U.S. custody. “Our assistance is catalytic, not perpetual,” Landberg said, and he urged Mexico to sustain security investments and to root out corruption.

Members pressed for specifics. Rep. Mills highlighted Mexico’s reported Operation Frontera Norte, noting Duholme’s account that Mexico deployed 10,000 National Guard personnel, and relayed Mexican figures cited to U.S. officials — including arrests, firearms seizures and kilo counts given by Mexican authorities.

Lawmakers also focused on illicit‑finance tools. Landberg pointed to Treasury and OFAC actions in 2025 that identified three Mexican financial institutions linked to laundering for opioid trafficking, saying Mexican authorities closed those banks in response and that U.S. and Mexican agencies are coordinating to exploit FTO (foreign terrorist organization) and other authorities to disrupt funding streams.

Several members, including Rep. Sri, cited a 2023 GAO report that faulted past assistance programs for lacking measurable benchmarks and monitoring. Landberg said the administration conducted a foreign assistance review, terminated programs that did not align with national security priorities, reorganized INL, and is implementing a metrics system to track results.

The witnesses and members repeatedly emphasized that halting the drug trade requires coordinated law enforcement, prosecutions and sustained Mexican institutional reforms. The State Department said it will continue to press Mexico to expand criminal‑justice capacity, increase seizures and prosecutions, and cooperate on illicit‑finance investigations.

The subcommittee did not vote on legislation at the hearing. Members may submit additional questions for the record.