Terrorists on the Border and in Our Country

TABLE OF CONTENTS to TERRORISTS ON THE BORDER AND IN OUR COUNTRY by Charles A. Marino Summary:  China, Russia, the radical Left’s shift to authoritarianism, global pandemics. There are myriad threats to U.S. citizens right now, but few are neither as dire nor as close to home as those posed by Mexico’s ruthless cartels. From flooding the States with deadly fentanyl, to killing, kidnapping, and offering safe passage to illegal immigrants, MS-13 gangsters and jihadi terrorists, the cartels have become more than a pesky Bordertown problem but a genuine threat to America’s national security. Through 12 chapters, national security expert Charles Marino tells how the cartels came into power and exposes ongoing policy problems before outlining pragmatic, nonpartisan steps on how the U.S. can combat … the cartel threat.   Chapter 1. The Current Cartel Threat Anecdote: March 7, 2023, Americans Murdered in Matamoros. Overview of daily threats Americans face. Single biggest threat to U.S. national security.  Chapter 2. Mexico’s vast resources—and its longstanding tradition of corruption.  Stats on Mexico’s GDP, resources, poverty, and crime rate.   Chapter 3.  Politics & U.S./Mexico Relations Chapter 4. The Dangerous Southwest Border U.S. crime, drug, murder, and immigration statistics at the border. Compare with interior U.S. and Canadian border stats.  Chapter 5. Defining the Cartels Who are they and how they operate. Chapter 6.  Specific Threats to US Citizens and the U.S. Itself Drug trafficking from cocaine to fentanyl. Kidnapping, crime, murder & extortion. South American-style gang violence via Mexico. Human trafficking. Jihadi terrorism via Mexico. The China connection. Economic destruction and strained infrastructure from illegal immigration. Chapter 7. Why past U.S. & Mexican attempts at dismantling cartels have failed Government corruption. Weak law enforcement & judicial institutions. Treated solely as law enforcement problem. Decriminalization of drugs/demand. Chapter 8. Blaming America for Mexico’s problems  Mexico’s systemic poverty and corruption is root cause, not America’s prosperity. Chapter 9.  A New Approach Designate the Mexican Cartels as terrorist organizations. U.S. whole of government approach, unilateral if necessary. Simultaneous LE operations against cartel members living within the US. Focused fed, state, & local enforcement of fentanyl dealers. Enhanced penalties & sentencing. Chapter 10. Bringing the Fight to the Cartels Use of law enforcement, intel, & military Chapter 11. What we must do right now, before it’s too late Secure the border Increased budget & staffing Allowed to do the jobs hired to do Policies do not undercut operational statutory authorities   Chapter 12. Postlude  Revisit the devastating effect that the Mexican Cartels have had on both Mexican and U.S. citizens. Provide the reader with the likely results of the new approach.