Border Security Introduction. The problem of drugs coming over into the United States from Mexico is not new, but it is serious and in spite of many efforts by American law enforcement and border authorities, it continues day after day. This paper reviews the problem from several perspectives and brings to light attempts the U.S. has made to stop drug trafficking on our border with Mexico. The biggest issue regarding border security is the power of the drug cartels, and the majority of emphasis in this paper is directed towards the cartels. Brief History of Smuggling Across the Border from Mexico Author Peter Andreas explains that a "wide range of smuggling practices" has been part of the "cross-border economic exchange since the nineteenth century," and hence the present-day smuggling of drugs across the border into the United States is not at all a new phenomenon (Andreas, 2012, p. 29). In fact Andreas explains that the economic relationship between the United States and Mexico "…was founded on smuggling," and today (as drugs move from south to north) things are opposite of what they were two hundred or so years ago when the smuggling went from north to south (Andreas, 29). The author notes that in 1821, about two-thirds of foreign goods that entered the country avoided / evaded customs duties (termed "contraband"). When the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, smuggling from Texas increased "sharply," Andreas explains on page 30. In fact the U.S. became a
The United States agency of drugs have discovered that for all of the illegal drugs consumed in the nation has been transported by the Mexican cartels. “U.S. federal officials say that the mexican cartels operate in dozens of U.S. cities and analysts say they are moving to consolidate their control of the entire supply chain of illegals drugs”(Schwartz, 1). The government of the United States have been conducting the investigation to now if the cartels are north. Many big cities today have a piece of the cartel organization working there and also producing drugs to distribute within the city. According to the investigation done by the DEA and U.N officials “Mexican cartels have established command - and - control centers to orchestrate cocaine shipments by sea and air along the still wild caribbean coast with the help of local authorities”(Booth, 2). All though that the cartel are moving to the United States they are still leaving command center in mexico to conduct shipments by ground or any other shipments overseas. The cartel is able to transport such quantities of drugs with help of the local authorities and other corrupt government officials.
Everyone is aware of the ongoing drug war between American border patrol agents who wish to fulfil their duty which is to defend the border and Mexican cartels who seek only to expand their narcotic empire at the United States and Mexican border. The Mexican cartels are often times defined as ruthless outlaws who infiltrate and distribute narcotics into the United States in order to maintain high prices and eliminate competition. Their methods are immoral and executed with ease because of their access to heavy artillery. As a result, “Since 2006 more than 40,000 lives have been taken via mass graves, beheadings, and kidnappings” (Newsmax 2). Fear is at the core of the Mexican government leading to corruption installed by the cartels. The corruption is to a degree to which there is no help for the victims or the families that have been victimized unless America steps in to help end the cartel’s reign. Drug culture created by the cartels is increasingly polluting American citizens, especially those vulnerable to the influence in border cities. The cartels are expanding their power to a degree where it can be alarming to the national security of the U.S. Therefore, the U.S. will be able to decrease crime at the border by increasing its security, and by helping the Mexican government regain stability in the country which will ultimately minimize cartel expansion.
Summary: The southwest border region is the most significant national level storage, transportation and transshipment area for illicit drug shipments that are designed for markets throughout the US. The south west region is the biggest drug smuggling zone in the US. More illegal drugs are seized in this area than in any other arrival zone. Mexican cartels have developed expensive drug transportation networks extending from the Southwest border to all regions of the US. Drugs gets smuggled between ports of entry along the southwest border and are stored all throughout the US. The threat posted to the nation by the Mexican cartels that operate in Mexico and the southwest border region extends well beyond drug trafficking to other criminal activities including border
The situation in Mexico regarding the Drug Cartels has been an ongoing battle that has taken the life of between 30,000 to 40,000 civilians, cartels henchmen and federal employees. The violence has evolved into something new in recent years. The brutality contributed by the drug cartels could potentially be labeled as terrorist acts. The strong domestic conflict surrounding the drug cartel in Mexico has boiled over the border and into the United States. Illegal drugs enter the United States through various openings along the U.S- Mexican Border. There are nine important crossings, such as Tijuana-San Diego, Mexicali, and Ciudad Juarez-El Paso. From Texas to Southern California, these drugs are handed out throughout the United States via
To begin, The U.S. for decades, has been a target for major drug trafficking. Between the 1960’s and 1980’s, Mexico was a well traveled country, in which it brought to rise the Columbian drug-cartel into Mexico, led by Pablo Escobar and Ochoa Vasquez. Mexican gangs were being used to transport the number one selling drug at the time, cocaine. This led to the formation of the Sinaloa Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, Los Zetas and many more. The U.S. has been developing strategies to try and capture narco lords.
Drugs have been smuggled across the Mexico-U.S border for over 25 years. They have been a real problem. Cocaine has been one of the most popular drugs getting past the border. A text called, “Cocaine’s Blowback North: A Prehistory of Mexican Drug Violence”written by Paul Gootenberg, states, “By the mid-1990s, further U.S. pressures pushed the drug’s profitable wholesaling north to Mexico, prelude to the showdown between drug lords and the Mexican state.” This shows us that the drug smuggling went on to spread throughout Mexico and caused many fights between dealers. Over the history of the Mexico-Us border there have been many cartels, cartels are “an international syndicate, combine, or trust formed especially to regulate prices and output in some field of business.” Cartels lead the drug trade across the border. Some of the biggest drug dealers cartels have been, the Juarez Cartel, Los Zetas, the Sinaloa cartel, Gulf Cartel, etc. These cartels do more than
With globalization of trade, it is simple for crimes between criminals in the U.S and other countries to occur. For example, drug dealers from one country sneaking illegal substances and other contraband into packages and ship it off to the U.S. Drug dealers think and plan this smuggling well, in attempts to successfully enter their product into the country to sell and distribute. In 2016, there were large shipments of narcotics coming from the Caribbean to areas of Southwestern U.S. The task force comprised of the U.S Coast Guard, The Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies. This task force managed to interfere with drug smuggling from the Bahamas and denied traffickers access to do so. (Homeland Security, 2016) There are also products
In 2006, Mexico began to crack down on drug trafficking operations in union with the United States. Why all of the sudden? In regard to that question, my paper will include a history of events leading up to this sudden crack down on drug trafficking, from its start in the 1960’s until today. After the history of the drug war, I will discuss the main states involved like the United States and Mexico itself. Along with their main goal of eliminating drug trafficking all together, although it is a very high expectation. Mexico has sent out 50,000 soldiers that are being paid less than a burrito vendor, in attempt to lessen the
In ten years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, 6,335 US soldiers have been killed in combat. In less than half that span of time, from December 2006 to December 2010, approximately 38,000 Mexican citizens were killed by cartel related violence. Even without counting the many thousands of Mexicans who were killed before December 2006, the War on Drugs, over ten years, will be fifteen times deadlier than the War on Terror. The level of violence near the border is unacceptable and the United States must share the blame. The rising death toll serves as the proof of what certain people have been saying for years: both the Mexican and American governments need to change their strategy in order to minimize the presence of drug cartels and to
This research paper is intended to argue that effectively and efficiently securing the United States borders will ultimately help disrupt and dismantle transnational criminals to include: narcotics traffickers, human traffickers, Human, weapons, and bulk cash smuggling, and prevent terrorists and their weapons from entering the country and wreaking havoc. These transnational crimes are extremely profitable and are in no means going to stop unless enforced at the United States borders. The benefits of securing the United States border will outweigh the costs and is crucial for increasing national security. Transnational criminals pose a major threat to the American people and negatively effect the nation. This subject is highly debated and political in nature, and there is no one perfect solution. So in order to keep a broad audience this paper is not attempt to offer a solution to the problems, nor will it attempt to focus on political issues, but rather attempt to identify the threats and argue the benefits of a more secure and efficient border system for the United States. This paper will discuss the severity of these transnational crimes and explain that these crimes will continue to grow if not enforced. This research paper uses the information obtained from scholarly sources that have experience within the topic of argument.
There are forms of Illegal trade that come across state borders which violates states legal control of their borders which is drug smuggling. In the region of North America lies a state that faces struggles everyday with a organization called Sinaloa Cartel. They face battles against this organization for control of the drug market within the state. This cartel plays a huge role within the state by having a huge influence in power compared to other the organizations in the state.
Despite President Felipe Calderon’s good intentions and determination to eliminate the drug cartels in Mexico, the Mexican government has not been able to stop the drug cartel’s operations (smuggling drugs, people and weapons to and from the USA) for many reasons. The drug cartels have proven to be powerful, well connected politically, well trained, well- armed, and manipulation of the masses. Therefore, it has been impossible for the Mexican government to stop cartels like La Familia from operating, and now the cartels have become a problem for the Unites States too.
Every day the U.S. border patrol has to constantly keep an eye out for the smuggling of drugs by Mexican Cartels. There has been much violence due to this drug problem that has left many people near the border killed and is allowing more criminals to obtain these weapons. A lot of this attention goes to the U.S. because many of the weapons utilized in the “drug war” are U.S. made and is interfering with trading relations amongst both the U.S. and Mexico. With this current violent situation in Mexico this has transformed the flow of weapons to an even larger scale.
Drug trafficking has become an increasingly growing problem in the world today. Illegal drug trade is a worldwide black market consisting of production, distribution, packaging, and sale of illegal substances. Although today’s "War on Drugs" is a modern phenomenon, drug problems have been a common problem throughout history. The market for illegal drugs is massive, when we consider the estimated global drug trade value is worth $321 billion (Vulliamy). The most drug trafficking happens on the border between Mexico and the United States. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, “Our neighbor is the largest consumer of drugs in the world. And everybody wants to sell him drugs through our door and our window”
Exponential increases in trade, migration, and drug trafficking have occurred due to changed within the global economies of the two countries. What had led to a degree of institutionalization of bi-national affairs and has helped reshape the political management is the increase in integration. “Mexico has long depended on the United States as the principal market for its exports, but the economy was largely inwardly focused”. (Smith. 2013. Pg. 41) The economic crisis that affected Mexico in the 1980s that led to a reorientation of Mexico’s economic policy away from the import-substation industrialization and toward trade and foreign direct