Staff Reports
In the ongoing battle against drug cartels that stretch across North America, the U.S. is starting to shift strategies, opting for a new approach that might just make cartel leaders reconsider their life choices. The acting ICE Director recently discussed some of these tactics, shedding light on how the U.S. plans to tackle the issue head-on. The strategy prioritizes drying up the financial resources of these cartels, effectively treating them as more than just loosely connected gangs. Rather, they’re seen as a billion-dollar industry that must be disrupted at the source—essentially slapping them with an economic punch where it hurts the most.
This approach is akin to calling out the cartels for what they really are: massive corporations with their corrupt business models. A leading official from the Border Patrol Council in the Rio Grande Valley emphasized how crucial it is to hit these cartels in the wallet. With the Biden administration’s border policies proving, as some have argued, less than effective, it’s a refreshing change to now see measures that pack a little more punch. By shutting down the border previously, the Trump administration was able to clamp down on human trafficking schemes, squeezing the revenue streams of these cartels. This move to target them financially aims to cut off yet another lifeline.
Labeling one of these cartels as a terrorist group opens up a toolbox of legal and financial weapons usually reserved for the most dangerous entities. The idea is to prosecute these groups aggressively, making it harder for their illegal activities to continue unnoticed. The tactic involves more than just courtroom battles; sanctions and military aspects could also play roles in this crackdown. It seems Uncle Sam finally has cartels in the crosshairs, and they’re going in for the long haul.
Meanwhile, changes to the way immigration cases are handled could also help alleviate the problem. This involves ICE beginning new nationwide efforts to arrest illegal aliens at immigration hearings—effectively killing two birds with one stone, if you will. The Department of Homeland Security’s strategy to expedite deportation proceedings is a strategy not unlike a revisited, tough-love approach. Encouragingly enough, both anonymous ICE sources and public reports suggest that one should expect more arrests with this method. This is certainly a shift from what can only be described as a borderline lax policy that once gave illegals an unintended warm welcome.
Finally, by putting more people on the interior, including up to 500 Border Protection personnel, and cooperating with local law enforcement, there’s hope that this might curb illegal crossings and drug smuggling activities. The reassurance is truly for those law-abiding folk who have had to bear the brunt of policies that somewhat turned a blind eye to criminal actions. Giving ICE more manpower to eject the most dangerous criminals sounds less like a strategy and more like common sense. There’s a sense that maybe, just maybe, this country is rolling up its sleeves and getting ready to deal with this problem for real. As they say, better late than never.
