A growing number of Republicans are calling for the U.S. military to play a larger role in securing the border.
A Texas senator wants to bring Mexican troops to the U.S. for training to learn how to combat cartels in Mexico and stop the trafficking of guns, drugs and people across the border. But it’s not clear whether Mexico’s president would support the proposal.
It’s been one year since 53 migrants died in a sweltering tractor-trailer in San Antonio, one of the deadliest smuggling incidents in U.S. history. Four more Mexican nationals are now facing charges.
“The victims of this human smuggling operation died under horrific circumstances, underscoring the callous disregard smuggling organizations such as this one show for human life,” Kenneth Polite, the assistant U.S. attorney general, said.
It’s just one of many incidents that Republicans point to in arguing that combating criminal organizations across the border requires the U.S. military.
Sen. John Cornyn, R- Texas, is sponsoring legislation to boost cooperation between the Pentagon and Mexico’s military to combat cartels.
“This bill would equip Mexican military forces with the training they need to help them confront murderous cartels and keep our countries safe and secure,” Cornyn said.
Earlier this year, Cornyn led a congressional delegation to meet with Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and the lawmakers voiced concerns about cartel violence.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, was part of the discussions with López Obrador.
“He himself highlighted that the cartels are an issue,” Gonzales told Spectrum News. “So I think if we go after the money, the trick is what hurts somebody the most is you go after their finances, and labeling them as terrorist organizations allows the U.S. government to start going down that road.”
The concept of using the U.S. military to fight cartels in Mexico has taken firm root among Republicans, and there are also some signs of bipartisan backing, despite some concerns about how it might affect U.S. relations with Mexico.
“I spent 20 years in the military, five years in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Gonzales. “I don’t envision sending in SEAL Team Six or the Marines.”
López Obrador has rejected using American forces in Mexico to stem drug cartels as an affront to Mexico’s sovereignty. But how he feels about bringing Mexican forces to the U.S. for training is unclear.
“He would say the general approach is misguided, that what is needed is an attempt to root out the social causes of drug trafficking and drug abuse rather than the militarization of the problem,” Kenneth Greene, an associate professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin said. “So I think that would happen if it becomes part of the public debate.”
Greene researches U.S.-Mexico relations and Mexico’s domestic policies. He says Mexico can invest in more anti-corruption efforts and professionalization of security forces and that the U.S. can do more as well.
“U.S. lawmakers like to focus on what Mexico can do. There are a lot of challenges at home,” said Greene. “First, we could invest much more significantly in demand reduction programs to try to steer people away from drug use and drug abuse.”
“Another really major problem is, has to do with the availability of U.S. weapons that are transported south to Mexico,” he added. “We need to increase anti-money laundering efforts. That’s rarely part of the conversation.”
Homeland Security officials say they’re committed to cracking down on transnational criminal organizations.
One focus is preventing the trafficking of fentanyl — but Republicans say whatever the Biden administration is doing is not enough.