More than 30,000 people lost their lives to narco-violence in Mexico in 2022. More than 100,000 Americans lose their lives every year as opioid and fentanyl poison – among other narcotics – pour into our nation. Thousands of women and children also disappear either on their journey to the nearly 2,000 mile porous border or at the hands of sex traffickers.
The human rights and terror suffered by both of our nations is immeasurable, but our governments have done the minimal to stop it. The cartels have plagued our entire Western Hemisphere for decades.
Only now, because of the horror witnessed in the border town of Matamoros, Mexico, is anyone paying attention. It will not last long. The action taken by the Mexican government to bring to justice those who gunned down an American vehicle, killing two and kidnapping two is not common. The tour de force put into place by Mexican authorities to find the two kidnapped Americans is admirable but let me put this into perspective, more than 100,000 people are still missing in Mexico and rarely is any crime solved.
AMERICANS WHO SURVIVED MEXICO KIDNAPPING SHAKEN AFTER THEY 'WATCHED' OTHERS DIE: FAMILY
Mexico is a pseudo-narco state. What happened to the Americans in Matamoros is horrific. I can't imagine the horror they encountered as they were facing gunfire and as the Gulf Cartel members slowly dumped the two bodies into the back of a truck after the reign of fire at a narco checkpoint. They did not rush. They were not afraid of law enforcement or the fact that dozens of witnesses were watching as it took place. In fact, a young Mexican woman lost her life in broad daylight during the shootout.
I've traveled to the region many times and have luckily not encountered a narco checkpoint, but I have encountered cartel members on my travels many times. Why? Because they are everywhere and operate with impunity.
The cartels have a reason for their strong presence in Mexican border towns. They are fighting for the transit routes that allow the cartels to pour their poison into our nation. It's a turf battle that brings in hundreds of billions of dollars yearly and gives these narco-terrorists the same, if not more, capabilities of U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies.
These are the battle lines that connect the smugglers to the highways needed to transport their contraband across our nation.
U.S. lawmakers are well aware of what is happening in Mexico and the White House is well aware that its policies have led to this disaster. So why are we allowing this to happen?
DEADLY MEXICO KIDNAPPING HIGHLIGHTS DANGERS OF US CITIZENS SEEKING MEDICAL PROCEDURES IN REGION
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made a statement following a briefing from Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate regarding the recent kidnapping of the four South Carolinians and the death of two of them.
"Senator Scott and I just received a briefing from the deputy director of the FBI, Paul Abbate, about the circumstances regarding the recent kidnapping and murder of South Carolinians in Mexico. I appreciate the FBI's assistance to the victims and their families. I also appreciate their commitment to bringing those involved in these heinous crimes to justice. This was clearly a Mexican cartel action."
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Graham added, "it is now time to change the game on how we deal with Mexican drug cartels."
Better late than never but what does this really mean. What action will be taken?
For decades our children have been dying. For decades children in the region have been trafficked for sex and left abandoned and dead. Rarely has anyone lifted a finger and the actions have been weak and feckless at best. The only time I witnessed actual change was under President Donald Trump, and I have covered the U.S. Mexico border since President George W. Bush was in office.
In 2009, I published an investigative column with The Washington Times, noting then that the cartels were believed to have more than 100,000 people on their payrolls, an army of sorts, in Mexico and some in the United States as well. Imagine how many there are now.
More importantly, the Biden administration has put the cartels on steroids. During his tenure, Biden has created a policy of wide open borders that have rivaled any past president's failures. This could only be done because the administration wants it this way. By 2024, DHS estimates that more than 5 million people will have entered the United States illegally, most through the southern border.
Those may be the lucky ones. What about all the children that have lost their lives? What about all our children that have lost their lives? We must demand change. We need to demand action. It can't just be talk without action.
We can no longer afford to ignore what is happening. The recent Matamoros kidnapping and killings of Americans brought attention to what has actually been happening in the region for decades. Like other high-profile American deaths in Mexico, beginning with the killing and torture of DEA Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena in 1985, we can't simply just talk, but we must take action.
We can't afford to ignore the crisis any longer because Mexico is a war zone and so are we.
