The Problem in Mexico


Mexican government is waging a drug war with so-called drug cartels in Mexico. President Felipe Calderon's war, which has been going on since 2007, is supported by the US government. This war is a major problem, not only for the Mexican citizens, but also for the United States because of the illegal immigration and drug trade in the US.

Mexico produces Marijuana, Heroin and Methamphetamine. Also, Cocaine produced in South American countries passes through Mexico. About 90% of these drugs are bound for the United States and are sold to American drug users by the Mexican drug cartels. Even though Cocaine is a lot more expensive, the real cash crop for the cartels is Marijuana, with a profit margin of nearly 3 times than that of Cocaine. With the money that the drug cartels make, they buy American guns; because gun laws in Mexico are too strict. The cartels also bribe all kinds of people with this money; everyone from local police officers to top government officials. With everyone on their side, and with the newly bought American guns, the cartels can murder people in the Mexican streets in broad daylight. One of the major reasons for this violence is the battle between US-born drug trafficker Edgar Valdez Villareal and Hector Beltran-Leyva for control of the Beltran-Leyva organization, which was left without a leader following the December killing of Arturo Beltran-Leyva by Mexican naval commandos.

But this problem is not contained within Mexico; rather, it has spread out to the US border states that share a 2200 mile border with Mexico. The Mexican citizens are too afraid to be on the Mexican streets anymore-because of all the violence and chaos caused by the cartels-and are therefore illegally entering the United States. With nearly 460,000 illegal immigrants, Arizona is the state with the most illegal border crossings. To combat this illegal immigration problem, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a bill that requires police to question people about their immigration status — including asking for identification — if they suspect someone is in the country illegally. This new law, will take effect in late July or early August, and has led to numerous protests already.

Will this problem of illegal immigration and drug trafficking ever be resolved? Will the cartels be arrested and punished for all the crimes they have commited? In my opinion, this situation has gone out of hand. I think the Mexican government isn't taking the cartels seriously enough, because with all the aid and support from the US government, the cartels can easily be wiped off. It is rumoured that the Mexican government is considering making Marijuana legal to appease the cartels but that would mearly worsen the situation. The only way Mexico could regain its original state is if America would send in troops to fight directly with the cartels. This would wipe them off completely and ensure peace for citizens of both Mexico and the United States.

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