Nov
18
The Caravan, MS-13, and the Opioid Crisis
“We need to stop the caravan. We need to build the wall.” — Newt Gingrich
For weeks we have been reading and hearing about the “caravan” of over 7000 Central Americans trekking their way through Mexico to the United States, with the stated goal of either pleading for amnesty or simply demanding that the U.S. let them in. It has been pointed out by many observers that these “invaders” are disproportionately adult men without families, with several suspected to be members of the ultra-violent MS-13 drug cartel. (Indeed, a few have already been identified as such and removed from the caravan.) This cartel is part of the supply chain for the powerful and dangerous drugs that plague our nation.
A couple weeks ago, Newt Gingrich wrote a piece for Fox News wherein he talked about this “perfect storm”….
“Heroin, fentanyl and other opioids already pour through America’s southern border and this infiltration is one of three elements that will feed the perfect storm. Every day, 115 Americans die from opioid overdoses and from tainted drugs passing through our border with Mexico.
The second element is MS-13, the brutal gang that is a drug courier of choice used by the Mexican drug cartels for distribution of these drugs within the United States.
When these two elements are mixed with the third element – the caravan of several thousand people, mostly men, seeking to break through our southern border – you complete a toxic combination leading to a perfect storm.
MS-13 gang members have already been found in the mass migration (although some have claimed they are no longer affiliated with the gang). It is not hard to spot them with their MS-13 tattoos. It is only a small leap in logic that MS-13 gang members will be using the caravan as a cover to increase their drug and human trafficking operations.
This combination magnifies the threat to America’s national security. A border wall is needed more than ever.
Securing our border must not be the partisan issue that some have made of it. Saving our children’s lives from the scourge of deadly drugs is not a partisan issue.
Imagine one airliner crashing every day and killing 115 passengers. This would be a national emergency that would eclipse partisanship. The death of 115 Americans by overdose every day should also eclipse partisanship.”
Gingrich then provides some numbers regarding fentanyl smuggling and seizures by the authorities in 2017 & 2018 (e.g., see link below)….
“To have lasting effects against the opioid crisis, we must cut off the supply chain – and this means securing our borders. But it’s not the drugs alone we need to stop. The criminals who control this drug trade are some of the worst, most brutal gangsters ever to come into our country.
MS-13 and drug cartels are made up of violent criminals who are not striving to achieve the American dream – they are trying to kill it…. MS-13 has roughly 10,000 members in at least 42 states and the District of Columbia, according to the most up-to-date FBI estimates….
Of course, securing the border, alone, will not solve the opioid crisis…. [But, it] remains the biggest step we can take to ensure that illicit opioids never enter our communities in the first place…. I am not [against legal, law-abiding immigrants and refugees.] I am talking about keeping out gang members and criminals who want to destroy lives and entire communities. If we are serious about this issue, we need to stop talking about abolishing the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and start securing the border.”
The dangers posed by MS-13 gang members and their opioid trafficking are not the only reasons to stop the caravan, let alone for building the wall. Part of maintaining a nation’s sovereignty is the careful screening of who and how many are allowed within its borders, for how long and for what reasons. There are matters of the health & safety of current citizens and legal residents; local, state, and national economies; and probably other issues that escape me at the moment.
I won’t speculate on how this whole “caravan” mess might be resolved, though I hope it is without bloodshed. Nevertheless, I support the administration’s mobilization of troops to “greet” the caravan. We must defend our borders! I pray that no one on either side does anything stupid, leading to unnecessary violence, but given the volatility of the situation, I’m not holding my breath.
