Tighten the Mexican Border

Mexico is in a state of turmoil, and America must take action, at the very least out of self-interest. The hesitance of the media to label it what it really is-a civil war-is nothing but cowardice. Of course, it is not a civil war based on ethnic or religious tensions (as it was when Iraq was said to be in a state of civil war) nor is it a political struggle. It is, instead, a war between the Mexican government and the various drug cartels for control of the nation. The criminal syndicates are also involved in heated turf wars, with each one struggling to not only survive, but to gain control of the narcotics market. The violence has spilled over the border and into the States, threatening the lives of American citizens and the peace and security of our nation. Mexican President Calderon’s efforts have done nothing but nothing but destabilize his nation and spread the violence, like a person trying to put out burning oil with water. Even Canada has seen an increase in gang-related violence, as, according to the NY Times and the Canada Free Press, gangs are battling for control of the supply of cocaine that has dwindled, but not stopped, since Calderon began his crackdown in December of 2006.

This is no minor up tick in crime. The New York Times reported recently that the Mexican Attorney General and the Mexican National Commission for Human Rights have counted one thousand drug violence-related deaths per year since 2001. While the figures for drug violence remained fairly stable from 2001 to 2004, they jumped up starting in 2005, and have since continued to climb precipitously. Last year there were 6,200 drug-related deaths, and there have been over a thousand so far this year. The gangs are using advanced military weapons, including, to quote the Los Angeles Times, “…hand grenades, grenade launchers, armor piercing munitions, and anti-tank weapons…” (The Los Angeles Times, March 15, 2009). It is interesting to note that the same article in the Los Angeles Times then notes that such weapons are coming predominantly from overseas or from Central and South American nations (In your face, Mr. Holder! See previous article). And, to add to this cauldron (or should I say, Calderón?) of chaos the fact that the police, prisons, and even the military and government are infiltrated by the cartels, and it is hard to see why people are defending Mexico and claiming that it is not a “failed state.” This situation is tied largely to America’s immigration and drug policies, and any plan of action must address both issues in order to succeed.

A large component of the situation in Mexico is the porous nature of the U.S.-Mexico border; better border security is an essential component that must be included in any plan by the Obama administration if they wish to successfully curb the violence in Mexico. I recommend deploying the National Guard to secure the border, and using some of that stimulus money to pay for the construction of a proper border defense. It need not be a fence or wall that extends to from the Gulf to the Pacific. In some places, a few watchtowers, surveillance cameras, motion detectors, and the occasional unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance would be sufficient. The border is porous both ways, so closer inspection of vehicles traveling to and from Mexico, even those owned and occupied by American citizens, would help to reduce traffic of drugs and American arms to and from Mexico. Rather than end immigration raids by I.C.E., President Obama should increase them. He should also work to end immigration loopholes, such as so-called “Anchor Baby” laws, and forbid people from over-staying their visas by marrying legal residents. Lack of enforcement of border and immigration laws have done more than simply allow Mexican criminals to enter the U.S. with drugs and leave with loads of cash and guns. Illegal immigrants cost the state of California alone over ten billion dollars a year, and a recent estimate raised the cost to as high as $14 billion a year (how much per year we’ll be paying with those new tax increases Sacramento’s put on us. Interesting…).

Now, I’m expecting people to call me an outright baby-eating Nazi for suggesting we actually enforce our immigration laws and deport those who came here in heedless disregard for them. I won’t be flustered by that. What does upset me is how Americans, especially those of Latino heritage, side with the illegal immigrants over their own countrymen. Honestly, I wonder about the loyalty of those people such as Geraldo Rivera, who make it sound like the only way you can oppose amnesty and unchecked illegal immigration is if you are a card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan and won’t even eat at Taco Bell. I don’t care if you were born in Grenada, Mexico, Ireland, China, or Iraq; if you have come here legally, and have become a full legal citizen or permanent resident, you’re an American. But if you sneak into this country and enjoy employment, and emergency room treatment, our schools, our jails (which, albeit still jails, are much nicer than the jails in many other nations), and our welfare, all while not paying taxes and shipping money back to the home country, you’re a criminal. If you broke into a person’s home and helped yourself to their fridge, that person would be understandably pissed. And, if you did that in the middle of the night and you woke the owner up, you’d be likely to get shot. Now, I’m not going to suggest we line up the troops with bayonets fixed and shoot at anyone and anything that tries to cross the border, but it’s getting to that bad. The immigration crisis would be bad enough, but the economic slump and the raging drug war in Mexico make addressing and solving it essential for the good of both nations.

The “War on Drugs” is another component of the current crisis in Mexico, and, like the Mexican state and the “War on Terror,” is a failure. Support for the legalization, regulation, and taxation of cannabis, the most widely-used and least harmful of drugs (some would argue that it is less harmful than even the legal drugs alcohol and tobacco), has been seriously discussed by several politicians, including those in the California state legislature, who are wracking their brains for ways to make money. While Attorney General Eric Holder lost major points in my book for endorsing an Assault Weapons Ban, he gained points by declaring that the Feds would not prosecute marijuana-related offenses, leaving the issue to the states to decide. Domestic production, sale, and taxation of cannabis would do more than raise revenue for our spendthrift state government, but would also drastically reduce the revenues of Mexican drug cartels. Combine that with the reduced cost of housing harmless users and busting clubs that distribute to cancer patients and people with glaucoma, domestic production would also ensure higher quality and safety for potheads, and possibly, even with taxation, lower prices. Combined with decriminalization of cocaine and heroin, the two other main drugs of the Mexican cartels, the adoption of a “treatment” model rather than a punishment model for drug users, and increased border security, the United States would not only be saving money and cutting down on its prison population, but also starving the shameless criminals who are tearing apart our southern neighbor and friend.