OPINION:
Although the U.S. border with Canada is the longest international border in the world, the one that arguably has a greater impact on the daily lives of Americans is the border we share with Mexico.
Historically, the U.S. and Mexico have enjoyed a special relationship in which the countries benefit from each other’s trade and tourism, as well as a shared cultural background in border communities. Due to the leadership failures of both countries, however, it is time to acknowledge that the mutually beneficial U.S.-Mexico relationship of the past has collapsed.
How did we get to this state of joint disrepair?
For starters, the Biden administration’s border policies have strained resources on both sides of the border. The failed strategy of encouraging illegal aliens to come to the U.S. to make fraudulent asylum claims set off a historic humanitarian and security crisis that quickly overwhelmed Border Patrol agents and U.S. border communities.
Furthermore, the Mexican drug cartels and human traffickers seized on the predictability of the U.S. administration’s policy of processing and releasing illegal aliens apprehended at the border. By doing so, the cartels and traffickers enticed vulnerable migrants to subject themselves to the horrific smuggling and trafficking experiences that come with crossing the border unlawfully.
After recognizing that the U.S. was no longer enforcing immigration law, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is essentially partnering with the human traffickers to allow migrants from Central America and the rest of the world to pass through his country under the terms and conditions he sets.
The big winners in this arrangement are the cartels, which generate at least $13 billion per year in smuggling fees alone and are trafficking vulnerable migrants in one of the worst forms of modern-day slavery. Directly or indirectly, their partners in the Mexican state reap rewards as well.
Emboldened by the financial windfalls the Biden administration’s open border has created, the cartels have amassed substantial military-grade weapons and bought off politicians.
Mr. Lopez Obrador has openly displayed positive cooperation with the cartels by defending the Sinaloa Cartel, directing his administration to hand over police personnel files to the Jalisco Cartel, and paying a visit to the former drug lord El Chapo’s mother to validate this conclusion. He has also openly defended the cartels by speaking out against hypothetical actions that the U.S. government could take against them.
The rising death toll of innocent Mexicans caught in the crossfire of cartel turf wars is a tragic indicator of the steep costs of Mr. Lopez Obrador’s “hugs, not bullets” policy, which appeases the cartels by refusing to impose consequences for their crimes. At the same time, more journalists are murdered in Mexico than anywhere else in the world as the cartels silence their critics.
Americans and Mexicans are suffering because of the failures of their current leaders. But it is not too late to reverse course. I believe that the right policies from the U.S. can end the violence and corruption that is harming law-abiding Americans and Mexicans in Texas and elsewhere along the border.
That is why the America First Policy Institute has proudly joined the Conservative U.S.-Mexico Policy Coalition to call for new policies and new solutions. This new coalition proclaims that the Mexican government is not an ally, nor a partner. This is undoubtedly a contentious assertion, but it is one rooted in the current reality in both countries.
How can we restore this broken bond? Based on my experience in the Trump administration, the U.S. must exert leverage to compel the Mexican government to act. Mr. Lopez Obrador strenuously opposed the “Remain in Mexico” policy, but after then-President Donald Trump famously threatened tariffs, he relented. Though the Mexican president’s term ends soon, Americans have no reason to believe that his successor won’t also adopt a transactional posture toward the U.S.
The Biden administration has lost all credibility in the fight against the cartels because their border policies empower them. It is long past time for the administration to get serious about securing the border.
Once meaningful deterrence policies are in place, the predictability of the cartels’ smuggling business will be disrupted. As the U.S. reasserts its leverage toward the Mexican government, it will in turn be compelled to take meaningful action to weaken the cartels’ power grasp.
The increased violence and corruption in recent years have marred the U.S.-Mexico relationship, and as a result, the people of both countries are paying the price.
Now is the time for a reset. Throw out the old playbook and address the main problem — the cartels — head-on. Doing so will reestablish a U.S.-Mexico relationship that works to put Americans first.
• Chad Wolf is the former acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and executive director and chair of the Center for Homeland Security & Immigration at the America First Policy Institute.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.