{"id":2168885,"date":"2024-02-06T07:50:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T12:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-real-border-solution-would-punish-mexican-cartels-not-bribe-them\/"},"modified":"2024-02-06T07:58:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T12:58:20","slug":"a-real-border-solution-would-punish-mexican-cartels-not-bribe-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-real-border-solution-would-punish-mexican-cartels-not-bribe-them\/","title":{"rendered":"A true border solution should penalize Mexican cartels, not bribe them"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fa-real-border-solution-would-punish-mexican-cartels-not-bribe-them%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2168885&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>A New Approach to Border Security: Mexico&#8217;s Role<\/h2>\n<p>A lot \u200cof ink has been spilled in\u200d recent days \u200cabout the\u200d Senate\u2019s $118 billion border bill, most of \u200dit detailing just how awful the proposed legislation\u200c is \u2014 awful, that is, if your\u2063 goal is\u2062 actually\u2064 to secure the border. The bill creates a new baseline of admitting 1.8 million illegal immigrants annually, doles out work permits\u200c and green cards on\u200c the whim\u200c of federal \u2062bureaucrats, and funnels billions of tax dollars to the same NGOs that \u200chave\u200b for years facilitated \u200bmass illegal border\u200d crossings. And that\u2019s just for starters.<\/p>\n<p>But not \u2064much has been said about Mexico\u2019s role \u2062in \u200bthe new immigration \u2062regime this legislation would\u2062 create. In\u200c fact, Mexico is barely mentioned at all in \u2064the 370-page bill. That\u2019s odd considering that no border enforcement mechanism that \u200cactually\u200c keeps illegal immigrants\u200b out of \u2062the\u200b U.S. will\u2062 work without some level of Mexican involvement.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>The Bribery Behind the Border \u200bBill<\/h3>\n<p>Consider that the so-called \u201cbipartisan\u201d legislation,\u2064 crafted behind closed doors by Senate Majority\u2063 Leader\u2063 Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, includes a \u201cborder emergency authority\u201d to\u200d shut down the\u2062 border\u200d if\u2064 5,000 illegal immigrants\u2064 are arrested daily over seven consecutive days or 8,500 are\u2063 arrested in a single day. \u2063Setting \u200daside that this would cement into\u200b law nearly 2 million illegal immigrants every year, what would happen to all those illegal immigrants arrested in the U.S. after the border is \u201cshut down\u201d under this\u2064 emergency authority?<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, they would all be \u200dsent back \u2063to \u200cMexico. But why would Mexico agree \u200cto that? Admitting hundreds of\u2064 thousands\u2063 of foreign nationals into northern Mexican \u200bborder towns\u2063 after they\u2019ve already crossed\u200c into \u2063the U.S. would create massive problems for a country already beset by\u2064 record-breaking violence and crippling levels of corruption.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The answer is that the Senate bill hopes\u200b to bribe Mexican President Andr\u00e9s\u2064 Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador. Buried in \u200dthe bill (on \u200cpage\u2062 85) \u2063is a $415 million \u200bslush fund\u2064 \u201cto increase \u200bforeign country capacity to accept and integrate returned and removed individuals.\u201d The unnamed foreign country here is almost certainly Mexico, which is where the \u200d\u201cremoved\u2062 individuals\u201d would be\u2062 sent once the\u2064 border is \u201cshut down.\u201d Another \u2062$850\u200c million in the bill is set\u200c aside for\u200c undefined \u201cInternational Disaster Assistance\u201d to \u201caddress\u200d humanitarian needs\u200c in the Western \u200dHemisphere.\u201d \u200dAgain, the\u200b likely recipient of the bulk \u2063of these funds will be \u2063Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>For his part, L\u00f3pez Obrador, popularly known as AMLO, has been\u2064 candid about his desire\u200b for the United \u2064States to\u2064 pay for Mexico\u2019s cooperation on the \u200cborder. Last \u2063month, following a high-level visit of Biden officials to Mexico \u200bCity in December, AMLO\u2064 reportedly \u2063demanded\u200d $20 billion from the Biden administration to help tackle the \u201croot\u2063 causes\u201d of illegal immigration, as\u2062 well as sweeping reforms to U.S.-Cuba policy and 10 million visas for Mexican nationals currently\u200b living in the United States.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A Dangerous Game of Bribery<\/h3>\n<p>In this context, it\u2019s hard not \u2063to see the\u200d hundreds of\u2063 millions of dollars set\u2062 aside\u2062 in the \u2064border bill as\u200c a down\u2063 payment on\u2063 AMLO\u2019s\u200c demands. At best,\u200c it\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ted-cruz-says-biden-shouldnt-just-be-impeached-he-should-go-to-prison-if-he-did-this\/\" title=\"Cruz: Biden must face prison, not just impeachment.\">quid pro \u2062quo<\/a> for cooperation on the border. At \u200bworst, it\u2019s a ransom\u2064 payment to a hostile neighbor with ill intent.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Now, one might \u200cargue that Schumer and McConnell and the Biden administration are just doing the practical thing here and securing Mexico\u2019s cooperation. But such a view belies \u200da misunderstanding of the relevant history and Mexico\u2019s\u2062 malign role\u200d in the border crisis.<\/p>\n<p>For \u2064many decades \u200cnow, the default assumption \u200din\u2064 Washington\u2062 was that Mexico \u2064is our partner, that we can\u2019t solve illegal immigration without Mexico\u2019s help. But that\u2019s only half true. The\u200b reality is that\u2063 Mexico is not a partner, not a\u2063 friendly\u2063 neighbor with whom we can cooperate to solve this\u200d problem, \u200dbut an\u200c antagonist. \u2062Over the last 15 or so years, the merging of Mexico\u2019s most powerful cartels with certain elements of the Mexican\u200c state means that much of the \u2063border crisis is being directed and facilitated\u200c by the cartels in collaboration with Mexico\u2019s National Guard and the National Institute \u2064of Migration, \u2062the\u2062 federal agency in charge of migration in Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>On top of\u2064 that,\u200c it\u2019s now a well-established fact that AMLO himself is\u200c cooperating with the Sinaloa cartel, the country\u2019s most\u2062 powerful, and has been for\u2063 many years. A long and detailed\u2063 report published by ProPublica \u2062last week chronicled Sinaloa\u2019s bankrolling of AMLO\u2019s 2006 presidential campaign, which \u200dappears to have been the beginning of a long partnership that\u2062 has now\u2064 borne fruit\u2064 \u2014 for both parties. \u2062Sinaloa\u200c has helped consolidate electoral \u2064victories for AMLO\u2019s left-wing Morena party in the last two election \u2063cycles, \u2063while AMLO has pursued a\u200d policy of placating the \u2063cartels\u2062 and disavowing\u2063 the drug war\u2062 \u2014 \u201chugs, not bullets,\u201d as he put it on the campaign trail in 2018.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>The Real Motive Behind the Slush Fund<\/h3>\n<p>That\u2062 AMLO\u2019s administration\u2062 has been compromised by \u200cits association with the cartels, or that the \u2062cartels have figured out how\u200c to monetize illegal immigration,\u2063 isn\u2019t some conspiracy\u2062 theory but well-established\u200b fact. Given that \u2064reality, \u2062it\u2063 stands to reason that \u200bif AMLO is \u200cgoing to\u2063 cooperate \u2064with the Biden administration to reduce \u2064the flow of illegal immigration into the U.S. at the expense of the cartel networks with which he is\u2062 politically allied, he\u2019s going to want compensation. After\u2062 all, \u2064the illegal immigrant black market was\u200c worth an estimated \u2062$13 billion a year as of July 2022, and is likely\u2063 much more than that now, not \u2064counting the $56 billion \u200cin \u200bremittances to \u2062Mexico from the U.S. every year.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Given all this, what other ways could we secure Mexico\u2019s cooperation on \u200cthe border crisis? Recent history suggests that\u2062 sticks work better than carrots. In 2019, amid a much \u200csmaller \u2063border crisis, President Trump famously\u200c threatened to slap a tariff on all Mexican goods coming over the border unless\u200d the Mexican government did more to crack down on the \u2062caravans wending their way\u2063 north \u200dthrough the country. If \u2062Trump\u2062 had followed through, it would have collapsed the Mexican\u200d economy in short order,\u2064 and everyone \u2064knew it.<\/p>\n<p>Sure enough, the\u2063 newly elected AMLO got the \u2062message. Arrests \u200cat the border soon began to plummet. The caravans were dispersed, \u200dand \u200bmost never\u2064 made it \u2062to the border. By \u200cthe time Trump \u2064left office, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gov-abbott-is-staging-political-theater-as-the-border-explodes\/\" title=\"Gov. Abbott Is Staging Political Theater As The Border Explodes\">illegal border-crossings<\/a>\u2063 were at historic \u200clows.<\/p>\n<p>That changed the month after Biden took office, and we have more or less been in\u200b crisis since then. Under Biden, almost nothing has been asked of\u200c Mexico, even \u200bas illegal immigration reached historic levels. Yet Biden\u2062 hasn\u2019t threatened AMLO\u2019s government with a thing, and of course, the lack of consequences \u2063has incentivized more bad behavior \u200bfrom \u200ba corrupt Mexican state and the cartels that profit off the crisis.<\/p>\n<p>If Senate Republicans were serious about\u200c convincing\u2062 Mexico to accept expelled or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/over-half-of-house-democrats-vote-against-bill-that-would-deport-illegal-immigrants-arrested-for-dui\/\" title=\"Over 50% of House Democrats Oppose Bill to Deport DUI Arrested Illegal Immigrants\">deported \u2064illegal immigrants<\/a> under a new U.S.\u2062 border policy, they would treat our southern \u2062neighbor as the antagonist \u200dit actually is and threaten massive\u200c tariffs or some other economic\u200b penalties. As for \u200bthe cartels, Republicans\u2064 need to start making a \u200dmore forceful case for going to war with them.\u200c Otherwise, there\u2019s\u2062 no way to get \u2064either the \u2063fentanyl or border crises under control.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>A Dangerous Bribery Game<\/h3>\n<p>The last thing \u2063you\u2063 would \u2062do\u2062 with such a neighbor, \u2063under these circumstances, is offer a bribe,\u200c validating the corruption \u2062right at the\u2064 heart of the\u2063 border crisis. Yet that\u2019s exactly what \u2064the Senate\u2063 bill does.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200dWhat measures should be taken to \u2063ensure accountability in \u200bborder security strategies and\u200b the use of funds?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2064Approach\u200d border security and Mexico&#8217;s role in it?\u200b Instead of\u200b relying on bribery and funding questionable initiatives, a new approach should prioritize\u200b collaboration, accountability, and addressing the\u200d root causes of illegal immigration.<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, collaboration\u200c with\u200b Mexico should be built on mutual respect and shared goals.\u200d Instead of \u2063treating Mexico as an antagonist, both countries should work together to address the challenges at the border.\u2063 This includes enhancing intelligence sharing, joint operations,\u200d and coordinated efforts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-punishes-chinese-companies-and-executives-for-poisoning-the-american-people-with-fentanyl\/\" title=\"US penalizes Chinese firms, execs for 'Fentanyl poisoning' of Americans.\">dismantle criminal networks<\/a>. It \u2062also involves supporting Mexico in its efforts to\u2062 strengthen security and address\u200b social issues that\u2062 contribute to migration, such as poverty, violence, \u200cand corruption.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, accountability should\u200b be a crucial component of any border security strategy. This\u2063 means holding both countries accountable for their commitments and ensuring \u200dtransparency in the\u200d use of funds. It also \u2064involves strict oversight to prevent any misuse of resources \u200cand \u2064to ensure that initiatives \u2064are effective in achieving their intended goals.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, addressing the root causes of illegal immigration\u200b is essential for\u2062 long-term \u2062solutions. This \u2064involves supporting economic \u2064development, job creation, and poverty reduction \u200bin Mexico and Central American countries. By addressing the underlying causes that push people to migrate, we can create conditions that discourage illegal\u2062 border crossings and\u200d promote stability and\u2063 prosperity in \u2062the region.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, a comprehensive approach should\u2063 include legal pathways for migration. By offering legal alternatives and opportunities for those\u2064 seeking to migrate, we\u200d can reduce the incentives for illegal crossings. This includes expanding guest\u200b worker programs, facilitating family\u2062 reunification, and implementing fair\u2064 and efficient asylum processes.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, it is crucial to engage in open dialogue and diplomacy with Mexico \u200band other countries in\u200b the region. By fostering constructive relationships, we can work\u2062 towards comprehensive \u200dand sustainable solutions to the\u2063 complex issues at our border. This includes addressing concerns related to trade, security, and immigration through diplomatic channels and multilateral \u200cagreements.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion,\u200c a new approach to \u2062border security and Mexico&#8217;s \u200drole should emphasize\u2063 collaboration, accountability,\u2064 addressing root causes, legal\u200d pathways, and diplomacy. \u2062By adopting such a strategy, we can move towards a more secure and \u2064humane \u200dborder that respects the rights and \u200ddignity of individuals while also protecting national \u200dinterests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent Senate bill worth $118 billion has sparked much debate. Critics argue that the proposed legislation is terrible for border security as it sets a new standard of admitting 1.8 million illegal immigrants each year. The bill has received significant attention, with many expressing concerns about its impact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":518,"featured_media":2168886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AMLO.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2168885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AMLO.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2168885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2168885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2168885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2168886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2168885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2168885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2168885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}