Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera has expressed concerns that the Trump administration's policy on cartels overlooks potential tensions with Mexico, impacts on supply chains, and fails to address the role of pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. drug crisis. She articulated these views in an op-ed published on November 23.
"Declaring a war on cartels could be considered an ‘act of war against Mexico' and could have severe repercussions for the relationship between the United States and its southern neighbor," said Correa-Cabrera, Author and Professor. "Sending U.S. troops to Mexico could violate Mexico's sovereignty and bombing cartels would likely cause massive destruction and death. Any U.S. war on cartels would be rooted in fallacies and a general misconception of the drug epidemic in the United States."
According to Newsweek, President-elect Donald Trump said, "The drug cartels are waging war on America—and it's now time for America to wage war on the cartels." Tom Homan, appointed as Trump's "Border Czar," has echoed similar sentiments regarding the cartels and has indicated that the Trump Administration will "take them out."
U.S. Representatives Dan Crenshaw and Mike Waltz have introduced a bill permitting military force against the cartels. Crenshaw assured that this bill would not lead to a war with Mexico. "The real threat here is the cartels that are at war with both us and our Mexican allies," Crenshaw said. He emphasized that these organizations are responsible for flooding American streets with fentanyl, resulting in over 80,000 American deaths annually while also terrorizing Mexican communities. The bill specifically targets the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels.
Correa-Cabrera warned that a conflict against Mexican cartels could still damage relations with Mexico, which is currently the largest trade partner of the U.S., as noted in her op-ed. She argued that focusing solely on Mexican cartels does not consider U.S. involvement in the drug trade, including pharmaceutical companies' roles, domestic drug production, and American citizens trafficking illegal substances.
She advocated for a different approach by the U.S. government that addresses "the root causes of drug consumption by U.S. citizens." Correa-Cabrera stressed holding pharmaceutical companies and U.S. manufacturers accountable and urged collaboration with Mexico to "dismantle global drug trafficking networks."
Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera is a professor at George Mason University and an expert in border studies, U.S.-Mexico relations, international security, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and migration.
