Is Mexico Still An Ally? Conservative Groups Aim To Reframe U.S. Policy

What’s happening: An international coalition of conservative groups, led by the highly influential Texas Public Policy Foundation, says the U.S. must adopt a new strategy toward Mexico that effectively deals with the cartel’s rising influence and the drug trade killing hundreds of thousands of Americans.

What the statement says: “The Mexican government is not an ally to the United States, and can no longer properly be described as a partner,” the statement reads, adding that the Mexican government, including the president, essentially runs in “symbiosis” with the cartels.

• Zoom out: The statement comes amid provocative calls by some right-wing figures, including former President Donald Trump, to deploy the military to the southern border or even declare war on the cartels, which are tightly interwoven with the Mexican government. Other presidential candidates have endorsed this approach, with Gov. Ron DeSantis also calling for “deadly force” against migrant drug traffickers.

Why it matters: Mexico’s instability has increased in the last decade, with the illicit drug trade — fueled by China — leading to astronomical fentanyl deaths in the United States. Surges at the southern border also fuel mass migration, human trafficking, and cartel violence, which have impacted communities across America. As this happens, Mexico’s president has also frequently criticized Washington and refused to address the mass migration happening.

States are responding: As the federal government largely shirks responsibility under Biden’s far-left border officials, states have taken matters into their own hands. Forty-six Texas counties have declared an “invasion,” and 21 states have called upon President Joe Biden to designate Mexican Cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has enacted strict immigration laws and kick-started investigations into migrant-run human smuggling and sex trafficking.