Terrorism and Drugs in the US Homeland

More illegal immigrants and undocumented persons entered the country, and more Americans died of drug overdoses under Biden than under any other US president. More Americans died of drug overdoses under Biden than died of COVID under Trump, but the same people who were calling for mask mandates and lockdowns are not calling for a lockdown of the border or a crackdown on users, sellers, traffickers, and buyers. (By the way, nearly three times as many Americans died of COVID under Biden as under Trump).”

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress that groups like the Islamic State and Iran-backed militias, such as Hamas, are the largest threats to US interests, but most of the attacks have been overseas. Narcoterrorism, however, is growing as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) are using drug trafficking as a means of supporting their terrorist operations. The Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah works through a global network of gangs and cartels, trafficking cocaine and opium to the US.

FBI Director Christopher Wray identified China as the country providing precursor chemicals to Mexican cartels that manufacture the fentanyl that is killing Americans in record numbers. Moreover, Chinese nationals are establishing illegal marijuana growing operations within the US homeland, with Chinese organized crime groups now dominating the illegal marijuana market. Additionally, China is emerging as a key supplier of precursor chemicals for methamphetamine production, further exacerbating the drug crisis in the United States.

Not only drugs but violence is also making its way north from Mexico. Since 2018, cartels in Mexico have been responsible for approximately thirty thousand murders annually. However, this figure likely underestimates the true extent of violence, as individuals who go missing are not counted as deceased until their bodies are discovered—resulting in a significant gap in murder statistics. Last year alone, the number of disappeared individuals surpassed 100,000.

In the United States, drug-related crime is on the rise for several reasons. Firstly, drug users are more prone to committing theft. Moreover, cocaine users are five times more likely to engage in violent crimes and its toll on American lives each year. Additionally, cartel violence is encroaching into the US, with instances of cartels targeting specific individuals within the country. US authorities have intercepted assassins attempting to cross the border, and states along the Mexico border, as well as Florida—a key transshipment point for cocaine from Latin America—are witnessing a surge in drug-related homicides, linked to Latin American cartels.

Cartels, currently classified as Transnational Organized Crime (TOC), are the subject of debate among some members of Congress and Texas Governor Abbott. They advocate for designating cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) due to their meeting three specific criteria: A) They are foreign organizations; B) They engage in terrorist activities; and C) They pose a threat to the security of US nationals or national security.

Designating the cartels as terrorist organizations presents a significant challenge as it could severely strain US-Mexico relations. Such a designation could lead to accusations against the Mexican government of supporting terrorism, potentially triggering a series of consequences. Assets belonging to the cartels held in US banks, as well as assets linked to military personnel, law enforcement officials, or politicians aiding them, could be frozen. Sanctions may extend to banning implicated police officers, soldiers, and politicians from entering the US. Moreover, these individuals could be subject to arrest, trial, and imprisonment in the United States. Additionally, the possibility of military action, including cross-border raids, raises concerns about potential civilian casualties, inviting condemnation from the international community.

In his State of the Union Address, President Biden touted the number of arrests made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the amount of drugs seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). However, although these numbers are significant, the issue lies not with the ones they caught, but with the ones they didn’t. The reality is that millions of undocumented individuals, including those lacking proper visas, entered the US during the Biden administration. The term “lacking proper visas” is used here preemptively to address Democrat assertions that technically, undocumented asylum seekers are not considered illegal aliens.

More undocumented/illegals entered the US under Biden’s presidency than under any previous administration. Regarding drugs, the grim statistics reveal that over 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses annually during each of the first three years of the Biden administration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates that the death toll will surpass 100,000 again this year.

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