Capture of MS13 Leader Exposes US-El Salvador Rift
Mexican authorities have captured a top Salvadoran gang leader who had been secretly released from an El Salvador prison and…
Migrant Smugglers Continue to Benefit From Venezuela Crisis, US Policy
International experts are predicting continued high levels of migration from Venezuela, which could prove a boon for organized crime groups…
How Corruption, Complicity Fuel Human Trafficking in Ciudad Juárez
On the last school day before the Easter vacation, two carefree teenagers strolled along the once-vibrant sidewalks of Bellavista, one…
Human Trafficking on the US-Mexico Border: Family Clans, Coyotes, or ‘Cartels’?
Human trafficking is one of the most complex and misunderstood criminal economies in the world. This is especially true along…
US Indicts Chinese Companies in New Approach to Fighting Precursor Chemicals
The US government has brought its first-ever criminal charges against Chinese companies for allegedly trafficking precursor chemicals used to produce…
Does US Policy Exacerbate Migrant Kidnappings on the US-Mexico Border?
It was just after dawn when Ricardo Montes* saw nearly a dozen armed men in two pickup trucks arrive at…
The Gauntlet: One Migrant’s Journey from Venezuela to the US-Mexico Border
More than two months of travel across eight countries. Regular run-ins with corrupt police and migration officials, organized crime groups,…
How US Policy Foments Organized Crime on US-Mexico Border
In 2019, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). What would become known as…
Gulf Cartel Still ‘Public Enemy No. 1’ on US-Mexico Border: Homeland Security
The Gulf Cartel has maintained a presence along the US-Mexico border across from south Texas for nearly a century, but…
How Fentanyl is Synthesized in Mexico
In 2018, US and Mexican authorities began tracking several chemists working for the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico that were trying…