Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic presidential candidate, said the current open border facilitates the illegal operations of the Mexican cartels, whether it is smuggling drugs or human trafficking. Kennedy posted his 18-minute border documentary Aug. 5 on X, known formerly as Twitter, and said, as president, he would shut down the economy of the cartels.
“After visiting the border I’ve come to understand that the open border policy is just a way of funding a multi-billion dollar drug and human trafficking operation for the Mexican drug cartels," Kennedy said in his X post in which he refers to the "dystopian nightmare of an uncontrolled flow of desperate humanity crossing the border."
The Mexican cartels control the southern border, and by doing so are endangering the lives of American citizens, according to a Jan. 18 FOX News report.
“This is not a political discussion, this is a national security issue,” Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines said to FOX News.
The FOX News article reported the cartels have set up successful and profitable smuggling ventures, leveraging the influx of migrants to evade overstressed Border Patrol authorities. Migrants may enlist cartel assistance for border crossing by paying a fee, or in cases of financial inability, they might resort to drug trafficking or labor to offset their owed amount. It also referenced the increase in fentanyl and human trafficking.
In fiscal year 2020-22, the total number of pounds of fentanyl seized at the southern border rose from 4,600 in 2020 to 10,600 in 2021 and eventually to 14,100 in 2022, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The statistics looked at pounds of fentanyl specifically at the southern border, not in all regions.
Already in 2023, there has been more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl seized at the southern border, CBP reported. Of the 22,000 pounds that have been seized throughout all USCBP regions, 21,800 have been seized at the southern border.
The Heritage Foundation reported the problem of human trafficking involves children, citing the Federal Human Trafficking Report from 2018 which said 51.6% of active U.S. sex trafficking cases involved only children. Other statistics from Heritage said, on average, children enter the U.S. sex trade at ages 12-14, often as runaway girls who've suffered prior abuse.
Traffickers, including acquaintances, exploit them for around $90 per sex act, forcing up to 20 acts daily, mainly in venues like hotels, motels, online platforms and truck stops, Heritage Foundation reported. Around 50,000 people, primarily from Mexico and the Philippines, are trafficked into the U.S. annually. The article also reported traffickers use social media for recruitment and victim promotion.
The Heritage Foundation said there are many factors which add to the crisis of child trafficking, such as the open border, pornography, social media and even broken families. However, the article argued the first step has to be shutting down the open border, which the Biden administration can do, and which would save thousands of children from being trafficked.
“When I am President, I will secure the border which will end the cartel's drug trafficking economy, and I will build wide doors for those who wish to enter legally so that the U.S. can continue to be a beacon to the world where diversity and culture make us great," Kennedy said in his X post.
