The Line in the Sand; Ethical Considerations

The Line in the Sand: Ethical Considerations Student’s Name Institution Course # and Name Professor’s Name Submission Date Threats at the Southwest Border Mexico is a country that has been battling with numerous criminal activities for more than a century, with criminals threatening the lives of elected government officials and influencing legislations that affect their activities. The Southwest border of the United States has been described as a focal point for the entry of criminals and their products into the country. States located to the Southwest border are experiencing increasing levels of criminality, and the residents have been living in constant fear. Some of the threats emanating from the Southwest border include violence, drug trafficking, terrorism, and human trafficking. Mexican cartels use this border to smuggle illegal narcotics like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana to black markets in the United States. Established smuggling rings have created entry and exit routes for individuals engaging in this risky business. This means that citizens of the United States and Mexico collaborate to ensure this risky business thrives. The drug cartels from Mexico have gained a presence in at least 1000 cities in the United States, where they have dominated the supply of illicit drugs (King & Thompson, 2012). Increasing operational control of black markets by Mexican cartels gives them the benefit of having a ready market and high bargaining power with local authorities. Human trafficking and arms smuggling are other significant criminal activity that benefits from insecurity at the Mexican border with the United States. These traffickers often abandon helpless immigrants whom they ferried across the southwest border, rob them and even rape women. The traffickers have absolutely no regard for human lives as they endure great ordeal at the mercy of these criminals. Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO) have maintained a firm grasp of human and drug smuggling routes across the border between Mexico and the United States. Homeland Security established that DTOs have 44 percent control of the southwest border and are willing to allow anyone to enter, provided they can pay the price. This is a direct opportunity for United States enemies to gain entry into the nation and carry out their terror activities. In 2009, federal law enforcement agencies arrested 29 individuals who had terrorist plots, and most of them were associated with Muslim extremist groups or other terror groups located in the Middle East (King & Thompson, 2012). Moreover, details from the raid on Osama bin Laden in 2011 indicated the use of operatives who had valid Mexican passports and could use them to cross in...