Security Assistance - Latin America 

The interwoven drug and arms trade across international borders, especially the U.S. border, remains an endemic issue in the region. For many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, small arms violence contributes to human rights abuses and poor human security. The recent Nobel Peace Prize to the President of Colombia, and nationally defeated peace referendum, thrusts the region again into the spotlight. Colombia currently receives the largest amount of U.S. military and police assistance in the Latin American and Caribbean region, according to Security Assistance Monitor research. The Americas account for 9.6% of imports of major conventional weapons worldwide between 2011 - 2015, according to SIPRI's latest research, with the United States, Venezuela and Brazil the top three weapons importers respectively.

Hillary Clinton (Democrat)
The candidate is expected to support security assistance to the region, having said that she supports a "Plan Colombia" approach to Latin America
General secuirty assistance to the region
Although questions regarding Latin America and security assistance to the region have not surfaced in the major debates, Clinton commented in April 2016 that her approach to the region would be close to a “Plan Colombia” approach.

In an interview with Juan Gonzalez, Clinton described the “Plan Colombia” approach to the region as a track used by Bill Clinton and George Bush during their times as president, with an aim to use leverage over governments to stop their most abusive behavior, while also assisting their efforts against the FARC. For many critics, "Plan Colombia" in which assistance to policy and military efforts was much higher than that to economic or social efforts, contributed to significant human rights abuses. (See Amnesty USA note.) Clinton's support of this approach indicates a commitment to significant security assistance to the region.

Position on small arms
The candidate's position on small arms may have influence on the flow of small arms to Latin America. Clinton has stated her aims to “stand up to the NRA (National Rifle Association)” and attempts to make it more difficult to acquire small arms at the CNN Democratic Debate in 2015. In the Second and Third Presidential Candidate debates Clinton said that she supports comprehensive background checks, and closing both the gun show and online loopholes.  This position may thus reduce the number of available small arms and therefore their illicit flow to Latin America.

Donald Trump (Republican)
The candidate is expected to favor reduced security assistance based on his comments that security assistance is, generally, expensive for the United States
​General security assistance to the region
​Trump’s comments on assistance on a general level would suggest that Trump takes a skeptical position regarding security assistance to states in Latin America. During a March 2016 CNN interview, Trump indicated that supporting other regions was not affordable. 

​Mexico
Trump has been very outspoken about the need for a wall to be built between Mexico and the United States, with controversy about who would pay for it. In his Presidential Announcement in June 2015, Trump said that people coming from Latin America are bringing problems, and that this needs to be stopped. These words imply a policy response, but it is unclear if this would be in a military or economic form.

During a visit to Mexico and press conference with Mexican president Enrique Peǹa Nieto in late August 2016, it was agreed that cooperation on issues regarding drug cartels and the movement of illegal drugs, weapons and people would be important for Trump. It is unclear what form this cooperation would take. Controversy about the wall continued after the conference as Trump said it was not fully discussed there.
 
Position on small arms
The candidate's position on small arms may influence the flow of small arms to Latin America. Trump promises to defend the Second Amendment, and does not support restricting weapons. Rather, Trump aims to decrease gun violence through law and order, including an increased police presence. It is doubtful whether this approach would impact the illicit flow of small arms to Latin America.  

Hillary Clinton Quotes

Donald Trump Quotes
October 19, 2016 - Third Presidential Candidate Debate
"Well, first of all, I support the Second Amendment. I lived in Arkansas for 18 wonderful years. I represented upstate New York. I understand and respect the tradition of gun ownership."

"And so when I think about what we need to do, we have 33,000 people a year who die from guns. I think we need comprehensive background checks, need to close the online loophole, close the gun show loophole. There's other matters that I think are sensible that are the kind of reforms that would make a difference that are not in any way conflicting with the Second Amendment."

"But there's no doubt that I respect the Second Amendment, that I also believe there's an individual right to bear arms. That is not in conflict with sensible, commonsense regulation."

"...what I would like to see is for people to come together and say: Of course we're going to protect and defend the Second Amendment. But we're going to do it in a way that tries to save some of these 33,000 lives that we lose every year."

CLINTON I have been for border security for years. I voted for border security in the United States Senate.
…
TRUMP: Hillary Clinton wanted the wall. Hillary Clinton fought for the wall in 2006 or thereabouts. Now, she never gets anything done, so naturally the wall wasn't built. But Hillary Clinton wanted the wall.
CLINTON: I voted for border security, and there are...
TRUMP: And the wall.
CLINTON: There are some limited places where that was appropriate. There also is necessarily going to be new technology and how best to deploy that.
…
I have been for border security for years. I voted for border security in the United States Senate. And my comprehensive immigration reform plan of course includes border security. But I want to put our resources where I think they're most needed: Getting rid of any violent person. Anybody who should be deported, we should deport them.


October 9, 2016 - Second Presidential Candidate Debate
"And I just want to quickly say, I respect the Second Amendment. But I believe there should be comprehensive background checks, and we should close the gun show loophole, and close the online loophole."
2016 – Hillary Clinton Official Website
From the Middle East and Asia to Europe and our own hemisphere, Hillary will strengthen the essential partnerships that are a unique source of America’s strength.
 
Hillary supports President Obama’s initiative to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba and calls on Congress to lift the embargo, while continuing to press for reforms.
April 13, 2016 – Interview with Juan Gonzalez
“I think we need to do more of a Colombian plan for Central America, because remember what was going on in Colombia when first my husband and then followed by President Bush had Plan Colombia, which was to try to use our leverage to rein in the government in their actions against the FARC and the guerrillas, but also to help the government stop the advance of the FARC and guerrillas, and now we’re in the middle of peace talks. It didn’t happen overnight; it took a number of years. But I want to see a much more comprehensive approach toward Central America, because it’s not just Honduras. The highest murder rate is in El Salvador, and we’ve got Guatemala with all the problems you know so well."
 
“So, I think, in retrospect, we managed a very difficult situation, without bloodshed, without a civil war, that led to a new election. And I think that was better for the Honduran people. But we have a lot of work to do to try to help stabilize that and deal with corruption, deal with the violence and the gangs and so much else."
October 13, 2015 – CNN Democratic Debate 
“I think that we have to look at the fact that we lose ninety people a day to gun violence. This has gone on too long and it’s time that our country stand up against the NRA. The majority of our country supports background checks and even the majority of gun owners do."
 
“Senator Sanders did vote five times against the Brady Bill. Since it was passed, more than two million prohibited purchases have been prevented. He also did vote as he said for this immunity provision - I voted against it... He was going to give immunity to the only industry in America. Everyone else needs be accountable, but not the gun manufacturers. And we need to stand up and say enough of that, we’re not going to let it continue."
October 19, 2016 - Third Presidential Candidate Debate
"Now, I want to build the wall. We need the wall. And the Border Patrol, ICE, they all want the wall. We stop the drugs. We shore up the border. One of my first acts will be to get all of the drug lords, all of the bad ones -- we have some bad, bad people in this country that have to go out. We're going to get them out; we're going to secure the border. And once the border is secured, at a later date, we'll make a determination as to the rest. But we have some bad hombres here, and we're going to get them out."

"We need a Supreme Court that in my opinion is going to uphold the Second Amendment, and all amendments, but the Second Amendment, which is under absolute siege."

WALLACE: "Let me bring Mr. Trump back into this, because, in fact, you oppose any limits on assault weapons, any limits on high- capacity magazines. You support a national right to carry law. Why, sir?"
​
TRUMP: "Well, let me just tell you before we go any further. In Chicago, which has the toughest gun laws in the United States, probably you could say by far, they have more gun violence than any other city. So we have the toughest laws, and you have tremendous gun violence. I am a very strong supporter of the Second Amendment. And I am -- I don't know if Hillary was saying it in a sarcastic manner, but I'm very proud to have the endorsement of the NRA. And it's the earliest endorsement they've ever given to anybody who ran for president. So I'm very honored by all of that."
October 9, 2016 - Second Presidential Candidate Debate
"We’re going to bring back law and order. Just today, policemen was shot, two killed. And this is happening on a weekly basis. We have to bring back respect to law enforcement. At the same time, we have to take care of people on all sides. We need justice."
September 26, 2016 – Presidential Candidate Debate
“Secretary Clinton doesn't want to use a couple of words, and that's law and order. And we need law and order. If we don't have it, we're not going to have a country.”
 
“These are people that are bad people that shouldn't be -- when you have 3,000 shootings in Chicago from January 1st, when you have 4,000 people killed in Chicago by guns, from the beginning of the presidency of Barack Obama, his hometown, you have to have stop-and-frisk."

"You need more police. You need a better community, you know, relation. You don't have good community relations in Chicago. It's terrible. I have property there. It's terrible what's going on in Chicago."

“When a person is on a watch list or a no-fly list, and I have the endorsement of the NRA, which I'm very proud of. These are very, very good people, and they're protecting the Second Amendment.”

"No, the argument is that we have to take the guns away from these people that have them and they are bad people that shouldn't have them."
August 31, 2016 – Donald Trump and Enrique Pena Nieto's Press Conference Statement
“Number two, having a secure border is a sovereign right and mutually beneficial. We recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs and weapons. Cooperation toward achieving the shared objective, and it will be shared of safety for all citizens is paramount, to both the United States and to Mexico."
 
Number three, dismantling drug cartels and ending the movement of illegal drugs, weapons, and funds across our border. This can only be done with cooperation, intelligence and intelligence sharing and joint operations between our two countries. It’s the only way it’s going to happen."
 
"We did discuss the wall. We didn’t discuss payment of the wall. That’ll be for a later date. This was a very preliminary meeting."

"We will get them solved. Illegal immigration is a problem for Mexico as well as for us. Drugs are a tremendous problem from Mexico as well as us. I mean it’s not a one-way street."
March 29, 2016 – CNN Milwaukee Republican Presidential Town Hall
"We are supporting nations now, militarily, we are supporting nations like Saudi Arabia which was making during the good oil days which was a year ago, now they're making less but still a lot, $1 billion a day.
We are supporting them, militarily, and pay us a fraction, a fraction of what they should be paying us and of the cost.  We are supporting Japan.  Most people didn't even know that.  Most people didn't know that we are taking care of Japan's military needs.  We're supporting…"

TRUMP:  Anderson, when you see all of the money that our country is spending on military, we're not spending it for ourselves; we're protecting all of these nations all over the world.  We can't afford to do it anymore.
COOPER:  But isn't there benefit for the United States in having a secure Europe.  Isn't there benefit for the United States in having a secure Asia.
TRUMP:  There's a benefit, but not big enough to bankrupt and destroy the United States, because that's what's happening.  We can't afford it.  It's very simple.
 June 28, 2015 – CNN Interview
“You have people coming through the border (with Mexico) that are from all over. And they're bad. They're really bad. I have spoken to border guards, and I said, how bad is it? They said, Mr. Trump, you have no idea how bad. You have people coming in -- and I'm not just saying Mexicans. I'm talking about people that are from all over that are killers and rapists. And, I mean, they're coming into this country.”
TAPPER: How exactly are you going to get Mexico to pay for it?
TRUMP: Well, the way -- look, Mexico has not treated us well. Mexico treats us as though we are stupid people, which, of course, our leaders are. I don't blame Mexico. China's even worse.
TAPPER: But how do you force a country to build a wall?
TRUMP: No, no, you force them because we give Mexico a fortune. Mexico makes a fortune because of us. We -- a wall is a tiny little peanut compared to the kind of money...
TAPPER: So, you would cut off business or impose tariffs unless they built the wall?
TRUMP: I would do something very severe unless they contributed or gave us the money to build the wall. I would build it. I would build it very nicely. I'm very good at building things.
June 16, 2015 – Presidential Announcement Speech ​
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best … They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we're getting. And it only makes common sense… They're sending us not the right people."
 
“It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and Latin America, and it's coming probably--probably--from the Middle East. But we don't know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don't know what's happening. And it's got to stop and it's got to stop fast."