Summary
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that if the U.S. designates Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, Mexico may expand its lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers, alleging complicity in organized crime.
The U.S. State Department reportedly plans to classify major cartels as terrorist groups, escalating tensions. A previous $10 billion Mexican lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers was dismissed, but legal efforts continue.
Mexico blames U.S. firearms for fueling cartel violence, while rejecting U.S. claims of government-cartel alliances.
The dispute coincides with trade threats, including possible tariffs on Mexican goods.
Are the cartels not terrorist organizations? They’ve been assassinating politicians!
If they’re terrorist organizations, then the US arms industry are their accomplices.
That’s her argument.
It’s like this, Trump, “Mexico’s terrorist cartels are sending drugs to the US.”
Sheinbaum, “Well… they’re being armed by US weapons manufacturers.”
Both countries are saying illegal shit is being sent over their borders. Trump is putting all the blame on Mexico. Sheinbaum is saying, you’re companies are helping the cartels, asshole!
Also, Trump is putting the blame for the fentanyl problem on undocumented immigrants.
They’re not the ones bringing fentanyl into the U.S. Americans, and others crossing the border legally, are. Because you can bring a shit ton of it into the U.S. in a couple of bottles and Americans are far, far less likely to be searched at the border. They just drive over, buy the fentanyl, and drive back.
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/09/1191638114/fentanyl-smuggling-migrants-mexico-border-drugs
I love how this all got reframed entirely about fentanyl and not improving lives of users or even harm reduction. Nope, stop the fentanyl and people will want to stop using drugs.
Reagan with the “brave mujahideen fighters” from Afghanistan at the White House.
America has a history of arming its future enemies. Deeming the cartels to be terrorist organizations will make special ops and drone warfare permissible. The Mexican president knows this move invites more violence on her country, not less.
Do you think maybe that’s why the Mexican National Guard and Police have been fighting them for years now?
I’m not sure what your point is unless you think Mexico is just letting them do whatever they want.
According to Wikipedia, Mexico has killed over 12,000 cartel members, arrested over 120,000 and convicted over 8,500.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_drug_war
Meanwhile, the U.S… *checks notes* imprisons (usually black or brown) people for having a couple of fentanyl pills on them.
They get American guns because they are close by on a land border and we get their drugs because they are close by on a land border. If they stop buying American guns I have a feeling they will not be short on guns and we will not be short for drugs. No one wants to address the real problems in this relationship.
What about Canada? We barely ship any drugs or contraband south and yet 90% of the guns used in violent crime here come from the USA. Most of them come from states that aren’t even near the border. More Canadians have been killed by American arms than Americans could ever be killed by Canadian drugs. The problem is the USA wants to act like some paragon of justice while also encouraging instability in their neighbours and refusing to admit their addiction to guns is a cancer to all of civilized society.
Which do you consider “the real problems”? Because the US government has been organizing and partly controlling the drug trade to the US from central and south America in order to arm fascist groups, destabilize countries and justify US military and intelligence bases.
Of course Mexico only blocking gun smuggling from the US wont solve things. The US government and intelligencr ultimately needs to be mostly dismantled and completely reworked. But thats a bit much for Mexico to demand at the moment.
The real problem is the American government is implicit in the drug and weapons trade and the Mexican government(political parties) is implicit in the cartel business. No one can admit to anything, neither side can solve this unless without massive discomfort and collateral damage.
There are two gun stores in all of Mexico.
I think OP means to say that they already have the guns. If not a single weapon crossed the border, starting today, they would still be in business for a long time. Guns don’t really get used up and parts are stupid cheap.
Every time a cartel member is arrested, which happens constantly, Mexico takes another illegal gun off the streets. The problem is they keep flowing in from U.S. gun stores.
But no, it won’t immediately end all gun violence in Mexico. And if you’re not someone who thinks like Trump or Musk, then you shouldn’t expect solutions to systemic problems will make them go away instantly.
Unfortunately, way too many people do.
