Top General Says Mexico Border Security Now ‘Existential’ Threat to U.S. by Molly O'Toole, Defense One
A top United States general in charge of protecting the southern border says he’s been unable to combat the steady flow of illegal drugs, weapons and people from Central America, and is looking to Congress for urgent help.
Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, commander of U.S. Southern Command, has asked Congress this year for more money, drones and ships for his mission – a request unlikely to be met. Since October, an influx of nearly 100,000 migrants has made the dangerous journey north from Latin America to the United States border. Most are children, and three-quarters of the unaccompanied minors have traveled thousands of miles from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
“In comparison to other global threats, the near collapse of societies in the hemisphere with the associated drug and [undocumented immigrant] flow are frequently viewed to be of low importance,” Kelly told Defense One. “Many argue these threats are not existential and do not challenge our national security. I disagree.” …
Comments
Carl,
On an intellectual level, I agree with you. The rub is the horrible conditions facing the rising generation in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. One does not need to understand español to get the message of the film 'Sin Nombre'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gJd-lSTc1g&index=6&list=PL4PKz6P6gtNaj…
Some assert that 75% of the border violence comes from marijuana. Perhaps de-criminalization of drugs might remove some of the pressure.
http://nedmcdletters.blogspot.com/2011/11/letter-45-like-1845-time-for-…
I agree with Madhu on this one. I always try to find what the party, who is using inflammatory language, has to gain from the realization of its 'professed' rhetoric.
The immediate problem is the influx of children. They are coming because they know if the make it across the border, they get to stay. Until that certainty that they can stay, and it is a de-facto certainty, changes they will keep coming. And if they get to stay, they will have to be taken care of, which means those without relations in the US will be taken care of by us. So we face the prospect of tens of thousands of young people coming here to become wards of the state. You want to stop this? Remake the law so that they are put on a plane back the day after they get here. Not a warm and fuzzy solution but there is no other. It ain't a pretty situation.
Dealing with our drug problem in a serious way may be a long term help. May be. There is no certainty that things will improve enough that people in Central America will want to stay there rather than come here. And we aren't going to resurrect Chesty Puller and have him lead the Marines back down there to fix things. So that leaves changing the fact that if a kid makes it over the border he gets to stay and be taken care of.
Interesting piece. Worth considering:
1. NORTHCOM, not SOUTHCOM, is the GCC with our southern border in their AOR;
2. Historically, drug interdiction efforts have had no impact on the ability of the providers of illegal drugs to meet demand;
3. The % of the American population who use illegal drugs remains fairly constant regardless if any governmental program of any sort.
4. Bad laws, not inadequate military enforcement of those laws are what is destabilizing countries caught up in this market - but no US major commander will publicly comment on bad laws or policy; so any call for more capacity to do the only things they can do or comment on should be interpreted in that context and not taken literally. Even if that Commander means them literally.
It was a mistake to prioritize chain based over skills based immigration but there are now too many US lobbies that want compliant bodies in the States as cheap labor or voting blocs, not to mention foreign elites that want American aid and remittance money. I am always amused at the Harvard Business school fetish around here. Some of those guys would replace docs like me with robots if they could, pocket the difference and move to the Caymans. Citizenship!
So the governments that would benefit from this aid, uh, what is the relationship to this influx? Other than poor governance?