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America's Security Depends on Mexico; Working together to stop drug cartels and illegal immigration. Stavridis, James G . Wall Street Journal (Online) ; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]21 Feb 2018: n/a.

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FULL TEXT Joaquin Guzman Loera, the notorious drug kingpin known as "El Chapo," landed in handcuffs last year in New York,

where he now awaits trial. Twice El Chapo had escaped from detention in Mexico, so after the authorities there

recaptured him, they agreed to send him to the U.S. to face prosecution.

This shows how far the U.S.-Mexico security partnership has developed since 1994, when the North American Free

Trade Agreement took effect. As President Trump fights illegal immigration and the drug trade, he should keep

Mexico's help in mind.

Nafta broke a long history of suspicion in U.S.-Mexico relations, creating a base for today's wide-ranging security

cooperation. During the early 1990s, Mexico's domestic political sensitivities meant that it rarely extradited people

who had committed crimes in the U.S. After Nafta, extradition numbers began to increase until they surpassed 100

a year in the late 2000s.

Although Mr. Trump used tough rhetoric against Mexico in the 2016 campaign, he needs Mexican cooperation as

president to fight drug cartels. Ninety percent of the heroin in the U.S., and much of the fentanyl, comes from

Mexico . The George W. Bush-era Merida Initiative improved information sharing between the two countries to fight

cartels. U.S. drones, for instance, gather intelligence in Mexico. Given that terrorist groups like Hezbollah use the

drug trade to launder money, stopping cartels serves many domestic and national-security priorities.

President Trump should ask border agents about the importance of U.S.-Mexico security cooperation. The Drug

Enforcement Administration reports that most drugs arrive not through illegal crossings but through legal ports of

entry. That's why U.S. and Mexican authorities have increased their capacity to scan cargo crossing the border.

The U.S. and Mexico want to take the fight to the source by attacking the drug trade's financing channels,

eliminating drug crops, and shutting down production laboratories. In 2016, Mexico destroyed at least 136 drug

labs and captured more than 26,000 kilograms of methamphetamine.

President Trump also should consider how weakening the U.S.-Mexico relationship could affect illegal

immigration. The Mexican share of migrants illegally crossing the border has drastically declined in recent years,

while illegal immigration from Central America has surged. As John Kelly said last year: "Border security for the

United States starts 1,500 miles to the south"--at Mexico's southern border. In 2015, Mexican authorities

apprehended some 150,000 Central American migrants traveling north. Provoking Mexico--by withdrawing from

Nafta, for example--could put this success in jeopardy.

Front-line officials, including DEA agents, border patrol and other homeland-security professionals, should remind

Mr. Trump how important Mexico's assistance is in achieving his national-security goals. As negotiations over

updating Nafta resume, the president should consider the value of this relationship before taking actions that

could destabilize it.

Mr. Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, is dean of the Fletcher School of Diplomacy at Tufts.

Credit: By James G. Stavridis

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Subject: Immigration policy; North American Free Trade Agreement; Cooperation; Border

security; Presidents; Cartels; Border patrol

Location: Mexico New York United States--US Central America

People: Trump, Donald J Stavridis, James G Bush, George W Guzman, Joaquin (El Chapo)

Company / organization: Name: Hezbollah-Party of God; NAICS: 813940; Name: Drug Enforcement

Administration--DEA; NAICS: 922120; Name: Department of the Navy; NAICS: 928110

Publication title: Wall Street Journal (Online); New York, N.Y.

Pages: n/a

Publication year: 2018

Publication date: Feb 21, 2018

Section: Opinion

Publisher: Dow Jones &Company Inc

Place of publication: New York, N.Y.

Country of publication: United States, New York, N.Y.

Publication subject: Business And Economics

Source type: Newspapers

Language of publication: English

Document type: News

ProQuest document ID: 2006919403

Document URL: http://stats.lib.pdx.edu/proxy.php?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/200691

9403?accountid=13265

Copyright: (c) 2018 Dow Jones &Company, Inc. Reproduced with permission of copyright owner.

Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

Last updated: 2019-02-20

Database: The Wall Street Journal ,US Major Dailies

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