The southern border to our great nation has been the topic of much political rhetoric over the past several years. Since 9/11 it has certainly been a focal point for those seeking to secure our nation from further attack. Despite much talk about how to seal this border there has been little action.
Something I find interesting is that you never hear talk about the northern border. Why is that? There are no fences or walls in place there yet you don't hear about the same troubles our southern border faces. So let's break this down and expose some truths which may help solve the southern border crisis.
Mexico is a nation plagued by gang violence. The cartels have infiltrated every corner of the Mexican government. Fear and intimidation rule the lives of many who seek to escape the horrors of the atrocities occurring there. The impetus of these gangs is the billions of dollars to be made through the sale and trafficking of illicit drugs.
There are many good Mexican people who are fleeing their country to escape death and persecution at the hands of the gangs. Mexico is a pipeline through which drugs are transported on their way to our country. The gangs control the drug routes and the territories surrounding them. They also control the will of the Mexican government due to many at various levels having been corrupted. As such, Mexico has not been effective at stopping the trafficking and violence associated with the workings of the gangs.
There is no wall or fence that will prevent the illegal entry to our country by desperate people. It may slow them down but it certainly won't stop them. The cost of building such a barrier will be astronomical while the effectiveness remains uncertain. The drugs and the people will continue to flow here whether it be by air, land or sea.
So what should we do? Opening our border is not a solution nor is adding additional manpower to guard it from trespassers. But I am a firm believer that where there is a will there is a way. The way to achieving border security is through the dismantling and destruction of the gangs in Mexico. By eliminating the persecutors and helping to build a corrupt free government we will prevent millions from even wanting to leave their country.
The United States is quick to take military assets abroad to defeat enemies of us and our allies. Why does our country not share the same mindset with our southern neighbor? When is the last time we heard of a drone strike in Mexico targeting cartel leaders and members? Yet we frequently hear of drone strikes in far away places like Iraq and Afghanistan targeting terrorists from those lands.
We face a greater security threat from the gangs in Mexico than we do of those in Pakistan. My response to the southern border crisis would be military action targeting the gangs and cartels who are currently controlling the flow in the political arena there. We need to help the desperate and good people of Mexico who long to live there free of persecution and fear of a horrible death from the thugs, also known as terrorists. Many Mexicans who are now entering our country illegally would stop doing so if they could live a peaceful and fear-free life in their own country.
To qualify my knowledge on the subject matter I will share an experience. A few years ago a Mexican family was being targeted by a well known gang. This gang, in fact, had already murdered and persecuted members of this family. A woman with her children were seeking protection from further harm so they tried fleeing to this country. Attempts were made, by the way, of the Mexican family to seek protection from their own local, state and federal law enforcement agencies but to no avail. In fact such efforts almost got them killed because of the corruption within these systems.
This woman tried to enter our country legally but couldn't. So she took a flight using a gift of money from some generous Americans to Chicago. Upon arriving at O'Hare Airport she was truthful with the customs agents and explained her situation. Their response was to put her on a plane and fly her and her children back to the war-torn nation. So she requested asylum at which point they locked her up in an American jail for months. Her children were released to lawful residing relatives in Illinois. While her asylum case crawled through the process she was eventually released from the jail and ordered to home detention with a relative while being monitored with an ankle bracelet. Being separated from her children and husband (he remained in Mexico but in hiding from the cartel) took its toll. She decided to risk her life back in Mexico to be with her family so she took her children and went home.
I have not since heard from this family and don't know if they are still alive. But the response of the U.S. government was an utter failure. Why do we not have the same passion for the protection of the Mexican people as we do for the Iraqi's, etc? Or for that matter, the American people? The gangs causing death and violence in our country are just across the line so why are we not taking the same approach as we do with those in the middle east? Politics my friends.
Of course consideration must be given to potential consequences of engaging the cartels on their soil. Many will say it would damage relations with the Mexican government. My response is that the government there is already corrupt. If we were to remove the threat of harm and fear the cartels instill on the people, those of integrity who would otherwise seek public office would come out of hiding.
Others may say that waging a real war on the gangs and cartels would cause a refugee crisis which could further threaten the security of our country. In the short term we could face such a challenge. Building up military assets on the border would be necessary during such an operation. But in the long term the benefits of ridding Mexico of their home grown terrorists would outweigh the short term problems associated with military action.
Still some may say that we would have to maintain a military presence in Mexico after such an operation to prevent a power vacuum. This is probably true and if need be why not? We maintain a military presence in many countries around the world. Why wouldn't we want to deploy assets to our neighbor to aid in the security of their country and ours.
Our call should be for the United States to wage war on the cartels and their gangs using military assets to the extent that these gangs can be wiped out. This means going into Mexico and taking care of business. By doing this we will remove the fear millions of Mexicans are living under and remove their desire to flee to a nation where they feel safe. They would stay home if they felt secure there.
A lone blog will change nothing. But the cries of the Mexican people need to be reverberated through the voices of the American voters so that real solutions will be applied to the situation. If we all stand up to the challenge effective changes can be made which will achieve the desired results.
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