Mexico’s Long War: Drugs, Crime, and the Cartels

Mexican authorities have been waging a deadly battle against drug cartels for nearly two decades, but with limited success. Thousands of Mexicans—including politicians, students, and journalists—die in the conflict every year. The country has seen more than 460,000 homicides since 2006, when the government declared war on the cartels.

The United States has partnered closely with its southern neighbor in this fight, providing Mexico with billions of dollars to modernize its security forces, reform its judicial system, and fund development projects aimed at curbing irregular migration. Washington has also sought to stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States by bolstering security and monitoring operations along its border with Mexico.

Under U.S. President Joe Biden, the two countries adopted a new framework to address insecurity in Mexico and the U.S. opioid crisis. Amid a fresh wave of violence, however, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has faced pressure from her U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, to crack down on cartel violence and drug trafficking. As part of this effort, the Trump administration has designated some Mexican cartels foreign terrorist organizations, bolstered security at the southern U.S. border, and continued the use of a Biden-era covert drone program to search for Mexico-based fentanyl labs.