Mexican cartels use drones to transport drugs into El Paso, conduct surveillance



A federal official in El Paso, Texas, recently confirmed a Mexico law enforcement officer's statements claiming that cartels are deploying drones to transport narcotics into the United States, according to Border Report.

On Thursday, Chihuahua Public Safety Director Gilberto Loya stated that he is seeing an increase in drone use by Mexican drug cartels flying drugs into El Paso.

'We have 15 countermeasure devices against drones.'

He said, "In the area of the [Big Red X] monument, they have been using drones to cross packages of drugs and drop them off on the other side."

The monument, about 100 yards south of the border, is also known as Plaza de la Mexicanidad.

Loya also noted that the cartels in Juarez, Mexico, are using the drones to monitor law enforcement activity on both sides of the border and "as a guide to caravan the migrants into the United States," KTSM reported, translating his comments.

A U.S. federal official told Border Report that there have been drug-drone encounters in the area. However, the official could not provide any details about the number of drones or what types of narcotics are being transported.

The news outlet noted that Juarez cartels are primarily known for trafficking methamphetamine.

Despite confirmations from that official, the Border Report noted that federal officials in El Paso were unable to verify whether drones are crossing into the U.S. or whether they are being used to direct illegal immigrants.

Loya reported that his team has taken down a number of drones in the mountains of Chihuahua near the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We have 15 countermeasure devices against drones. Some force the drone to turn back, some cut off its signal entirely, so it falls to the ground, and some just track the drone to its base," he remarked.

Last month, a leaked bulletin reportedly from the U.S. Border Patrol's Yuma Sector Intelligence Unit warned that Mexican cartels were using drones to "drop explosives" on rival gangs, Blaze News previously reported.

Air Force General Gregory Guillot told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year that there were "over 1,000" drone incursions each month near the border.

"I haven't seen any of them manifest in a threat to the level of national defense, but I see the potential only growing," he told lawmakers.

While authorities report an increase in drone activity at the southern border, law enforcement officials in Juarez are attempting to stave off a cartel's attacks against their surveillance cameras, according to Border Report.

Loya told reporters on Thursday that authorities recently installed 11 cameras on the streets of Juarez to monitor the cartel's activities. Since then, members of the cartel have reportedly shot at the cameras and struck them with hammers. In another instance, they allegedly set a utility pole on fire to destroy the equipment.

"Organized crime feels threatened by this system that is being installed throughout the state," Loya stated.

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Dishonest Media Dismiss Illegal Immigrant Cartel Violence Near Denver

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-29-at-4.14.32 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-29-at-4.14.32%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]Venezuelan cartel members have taken over apartment complexes in a Denver suburb. Local media have been dismissing these claims for weeks.

Cartel drones drop explosives near southern border



A Mexican cartel is using drones to “drop explosives” on a rival gang near the Arizona southern border, the New York Post reported, citing a recently leaked bulletin.

The United States Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector Intelligence Unit released a bulletin on Tuesday warning about the recent cartel activity along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to the alert, members of Los Salazar, a cell of the Sinaloa Cartel, are using drones with explosives to attack Los Pelones, a rival cartel. The activity is part of an ongoing conflict between the two cartels in Sonoyta, Mexico, roughly two miles from the border.

“Other confrontations between these two organization[s] have occurred along the border, south of Wellton Stations area of operations in recent months,” the bulletin read. “Agents are reminded to take any necessary precautions if drones are encountered or obse[rved] and report that activity up their chain of command as soon as possible.”

In March, Air Force General Gregory Guillot told the Senate Armed Services Committee that, in his estimation, there are “over 1,000” drone incursions each month at the southern border, calling the number of encounters “alarming,” Blaze News previously reported. Guillot noted that no one knows the exact number of incursions but that it is “in the thousands.”

At the time, he told lawmakers, “I haven’t seen any of them manifest in a threat to the level of national defense, but I see the potential only growing.”

Cartel spotters typically use the drones to spot gaps in the border wall where they can sneak past law enforcement agents undetected. Guillot stated that some of the drones may be used to carry illicit drugs over the border.

Last year, Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez told the House Oversight Committee that more than 10,000 drone incursions and 25,000 sightings were reported over a one-year period.

“We have made great progress in countering the threat of small, unmanned platforms,” Chavez said. “However, the adversaries have 17 times the number of drones, twice the amount of flight hours, and unlimited funding to grow their operations.”

In 2023, Customs and Border Protection called human smugglers’ use of drone technology a “growing trend.”

The Associated Press recently reported that the Mexican army has stated that some of its soldiers have been killed by cartel drones dropping explosives.

Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Luis Cresencio Sandoval stated, “Our personnel have suffered wounds, and some of our troops have even died."

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Mexican cartels offer VIP smuggling packages to illegal aliens — $6,000 to $15,000 per person



Mexican cartels are offering VIP smuggling packages to foreign nationals seeking to cross into the United States illegally, USA Today recently reported.

Sources told the news outlet that the cartels are charging anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000 per person to smuggle individuals through a network of underground drainage tunnels that stretch from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to El Paso, Texas.

'Now 60 to 70% of their focus is migrant smuggling.'

The cartels' customers are given a code word that identifies which criminal organization they are traveling with to signal to local law enforcement and rival cartels not to harass the group.

La Linea, a cartel based in Juárez, has been smuggling at least 1,000 illegal aliens across the U.S. border through the tunnel system every month, a senior Mexican official told USA Today.

Arturo Velasco, head of the anti-kidnapping unit at the Chihuahua attorney general's office, told the news outlet, "Criminals have shifted from their primary business, which was drug trafficking."

"Now 60 to 70% of their focus is migrant smuggling," Velasco said. "A kilo of cocaine might bring in $1,500, but the risk is very high. The cost-benefit of trafficking a person is $10,000, $12,000, $15,000."

Ines Barrios de la O, an immigration specialist at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez, stated, "Remittances in cities like Ciudad Juárez have doubled to nearly $90 million per trimester so far in 2024."

Oscar Hagelsieb, former assistant special agent in charge at the United States Homeland Security Investigations, told USA Today, "Corruption in Juárez, or in any other Mexican border city, must be in collusion with authorities."

Velasco added, "We know of federal law enforcement that traffic migrants. ... From inside shelters, they, along with officials from the National Institute of Migration, send information on people and then, outside, these people are abducted by criminal groups."

According to Velasco, some police officers kidnap migrants and hold them in safe houses until they can pay their smuggling dues to the cartel.

One smuggler told USA Today that law enforcement authorities also navigate the illegal aliens to the tunnels' entrances. He also claimed that for nearly $600 per person, officers provide cover for smugglers while they move the illegal immigrants into El Paso.

Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, told NewsNation that the cartels' smuggling humans through the drainage system is "not something that's new."

"They use different types of social media. They have intel within the United States. They obviously have intel along the border," Del Cueto stated. "They charge different groups and families depending on the safest route or the easier one."

He explained that the smugglers are "willing to sacrifice" groups of illegal aliens who have paid less to create a diversion for those who have paid them more to get into the U.S.

"They'll get a group. They're separate them and say, 'Look, if you come across just turn yourself in. They're not going to send you back. Ask for asylum. You're going to get a free pass.' That allows these cartels to be able to pass other individuals through other areas," Del Cueto told NewsNation.

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US sanctions Mexican cartel leaders for drug trafficking, but Biden still won’t shut down the border



The United States Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday that it levied sanctions against eight leaders of a Mexican cartel, according to a department press release.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto that the individuals were affiliated with the La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel, which has been involved in drug trafficking and human smuggling operations across the southern border. According to the department, the group has trafficked fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine into the U.S.

'Isn’t the better solution ... to just shut down the border – entirely?'

“La Nueva Familia Michoacana is one of the most powerful and violent cartels in Mexico and has become a priority focus of the Mexican government in recent years,” the press release from the Treasury Department read.

In addition to the sanctions, the department issued an advisory “to highlight critical new information to help U.S. banks and other financial institutions guard against activity associated with the illicit fentanyl supply chain.”

“The advisory includes new trends and red flags that can be indicators of activity associated with the procurement of precursor chemicals and manufacturing equipment used for the synthesis of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids,” the press release added.

Yellen released a statement explaining that the opioid crisis, fueled by the cartel, has “devastated communities and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans.”

“President Biden and I are committed to using every tool we have to target illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals so we can disrupt these deadly supply chains,” Yellen stated. “Treasury has unique capabilities and expertise to target the financial flows of these cartels who are poisoning our communities, and going after them is a top priority for me and the Department.”

During her Thursday interview with Cavuto, the Fox News anchor pressed Yellen on the Biden administration’s open border crisis.

“Isn’t the better solution, and maybe it addresses what you’re doing here, secretary, to just shut down the border – entirely?” Cavuto asked. “Just lock it down, that’s what Donald Trump wants to do. What do you say?”

Yellen avoided directly answering the question and replied, “Well, um, you know, my concern today is with, um, fentanyl trafficking, drug trafficking, and I’d say ...”

Cavuto interrupted Yellen and asked whether shutting down the southern border would solve her concerns about drug trafficking.

“Well, look, the most, the most impactful tool we have is, um, to put in place sophisticated drug detection equipment, and that’s what President Biden has done is, um, not to shut down the border entirely,” Yellen responded.

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Mexican cartels are scamming American timeshare owners, FBI warns: ‘Devastating consequences’



Mexican drug cartels are targeting wealthy, senior Americans with timeshares, according to a recentnews release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI reported last week that it has witnessed an uptick in timeshare scams against part-time owners. The scams are relatively complex and typically involve three phases, the bureau said.

'Robust network of fake company websites'

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Paul Roberts stated, “Timeshare fraudsters aim to suck their victims dry, with devastating consequences to victims’ financial futures, relationships, and physical and emotional health.”

“As the cartels further cement their control of this space, it’s especially critical that the FBI take the lead in addressing this threat to American seniors,” Roberts added.

He noted that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, and the Sinaloa Cartel have operated these fraud schemes for over a decade.

“Timeshare fraud has low overhead costs and minimal reinvestment, needing only a rental of small space, telecom setup, and English-speaking employees with access to resort databases,” Roberts explained. “There is lower perceived risk of prosecution and extradition for timeshare fraud but easy cash flow that goes directly into the Mexican banking system and obfuscates funds to facilitate money laundering activities.”

The FBI reported that the scammers involved in the fraud scheme “do extensive research on their potential victims,” creating fraudulent documents and impersonating a number of individuals. The fraudsters deploy “high-pressure sales tactics and cyber-enabled fraud strategies” to trick their victims into believing they are from a trustworthy institution. One such tactic includes “mimicking legitimate entities’ email addresses and forging official documents,” Roberts noted.

Roberts detailed the cartel’s three-step process.

“In these initial communications with victims, the scammers often pretend to be U.S.- or Mexican-based third-party timeshare brokers or sales representatives in the timeshare, real estate, travel, or financial services industry,” he said.

The scammers pressure victims to either exit their timeshare, rent it out, or invest in share certificates. They push the owners to pay upfront charges and taxes.

“The scammers also leverage a robust network of fake company websites, business names and addresses, and registrations with government officials and trade groups to bolster their credibility,” Roberts remarked.

Step one of the scheme concludes once the victim runs out of funds or becomes aware they have been defrauded.

After some time, the scammers will contact the victims again, this time pretending to be an employee of a law firm that wants to help them recoup their losses.

“The scammers often claim the initial scammers have been either charged with fraud or held civilly liable in a U.S.- or Mexico-based lawsuit, and that the victims are owed restitution in the settlement,” Roberts continued. “However, in order to access that restitution money, the victims are told they must pay legal or court fees to the law firms. The scammers then defraud the victims of a series of advance fees related to the settlement, again using fake documents to bolster their credibility.”

In the final phase of their scam, fraudsters will impersonate government officials, including those from the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit, or Interpol, the FBI stated.

“Government impersonators claim that they’re contacting victims because they have access to criminal settlements and want to help them recoup their lost money,” the FBI wrote. “Or, impersonators try to scare victims into giving up even more cash. They do this by telling victims that their initial payments to timeshare fraudsters were deemed suspicious.”

“The scammers then tell victims that the authorities determined their payments to timeshare fraudsters were ‘linked to money laundering or terrorist operations.’ They then threaten to either subpoena victims or send them to prison if they don’t pay additional money to ensure their payments are released and their names are cleared,” the agency explained.

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Blaze News investigates: Small border town battles port closure amid rising immigration



United States Customs and Border Protection announced on December 1, 2023, that the Lukeville Port of Entry in Arizona would be "temporarily" closed down "until further notice."

Nearby local communities and small businesses were stunned by the abrupt news and were left with no indication of when the port's operations would resume.

Less than 30 miles up the road from the Lukeville Port of Entry lies the town of Why, an unincorporated rural community with approximately 100 residents, a number that fluctuates depending on the time of year with snowbirds heading elsewhere during the hot summer months. Travelers on their way to Mexico from the Phoenix metropolitan area, Tucson, and California converge at Why, the final stop before reaching the Lukeville port. The border crossing offers the most direct route for those headed to Puerto Peñasco, also called Rocky Point.

Why has one Mexican food restaurant and a convenience store, the Why Not Travel Store, a favorite pitstop for many tourists.

Blaze News spoke with the store's general manager, Bernadette Nez, about the port of entry closure, how it impacted her business, and the unknowns regarding its reopening.

"Everything was very slow," Nez stated. "We didn't get any travelers heading down to Mexico. We only had a few locals, and Why is very small."

Nez explained that when the port of entry closed, her business saw only about 15 people per day. She has never seen the port completely shut down during her 40 years of residing in the area.

"We barely even had enough to make our light bill," she told Blaze News. "It was like a ghost town."

Nez said her business ultimately survived the lull thanks to the area's residents, including Border Patrol agents living in the town, who stepped up by shopping at the convenience store more frequently during the closure. She noted that Why is a tight-knit community where everyone knows their neighbors.

Lukeville itself is not much of a town but serves as more of a stopping point for those heading across the border. It includes one gas station market, about a dozen or so trailer homes, and not much else. The Pima County Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement services to the area.

On the other side of the border in Mexico, business owners also felt the sting of the shutdown.

David Grosse, an Arizona resident with rental properties in Rocky Point, told Blaze News that approximately 90% of his renters canceled their stays upon hearing the news that the Lukeville Port of Entry was closed. Arizona residents own the majority of the 6,000 condos and 3,500 homes in Puerto Peñasco, the Arizona Republic reported.

Most tourists headed to the vacation destination drive through the Lukeville border because it is "convenient, and people feel comfortable with it," Grosse said.

"Every property in the area got impacted. And, for me, I was controlling around 50," he explained. "Everyone drives down to Rocky Point because it's the closest beach. And the renters going down for two or three nights basically all canceled and needed to be refunded or moved into some sort of unknown future."

He noted that when the port of entry was shut down, no one had any indication of when it might reopen.

"The people going back and forth are all Americans," Grosse stated, adding that the closure impacted the area's restaurants and those with rental properties. Some of Grosse's prospective renters are still hesitant to book their travel accommodations because they are not confident the port will remain open.

Port closure sparks safety concerns

The Lukeville border shutdown was necessary to "redirect personnel to assist the U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody," the CBP argued.

"In response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals, CBP is surging all available resources to expeditiously and safely process migrants," the agency wrote.

CBP's Tucson sector, which includes the Lukeville Port of Entry, is one of the busiest areas for illegal migrant crossings. According to the agency's reporting, in the first six months of fiscal year 2024, the sector experienced a shocking 342,002 migrant encounters. The next busiest sector, Del Rio in Texas, experienced 194,288. These numbers do not include known or unknown gotaways.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Naños has staunchly maintained that the issues at the border are CBP's responsibility and should not fall on the shoulders of county or state law enforcement agencies.

"The border is a federal government issue. It's their problem," he told Blaze News. "If [Border Patrol] needs our assistance, we'll assist them. But I do not want my deputies doing Border Patrol work. My deputies have a job to do, and it's not working the border."

A December NBC News report, which was published amid the Lukeville closure, stated that CBP was releasing illegal migrants into the interior of the country "as fast as possible to avoid overcrowding," according to three Department of Homeland Security officials who spoke to the news outlet. The sources claimed that migrants were "released directly onto the streets" in the Tucson area.

Naños said that the migrant street releases are a "concern," not so much for the department but for "the city of Tucson and the Board of Supervisors of Pima County."

Referring to the supervisors, he remarked, "They saw — and I agree with this — the need to deal with, in a humanitarian crisis, people who were going to be released out onto the street. Basically, 'We don't know what to do with these people.' They have crossed the border lawfully through the asylum process, and Border Patrol was going with what they're challenged with and that was: Under the federal government guidelines, if they meet the asylum protocols, they're to be released into the United States until their court date time."

"Whether that court date's tomorrow or 10 years from tomorrow, is another issue. But that's not for the sheriff to deal with. Even Border Patrol will tell you, they have no control over those federal courts. They just schedule the court date that they're given," he added.

Blaze News asked Nez whether she had seen any migrants wandering the streets near Why or Ajo, the neighboring community.

"No, surprisingly we haven't," she replied. "We have just seen a lot of Border Patrol."

Naños told Blaze News that Ajo's crime levels are low, with the town averaging 1.4 to 1.8 emergency calls to the department per day. He stated that CBP alerted the county with "a week or two's notice" that the Lukeville Port of Entry would be shut down — more warning time than locals were provided.

Arizona state Sen. David Gowan (R), whose district includes the Douglas Port of Entry, painted a different picture regarding immigration's impact on rural Arizona communities. He told Blaze News that law enforcement officers have "reached their break point," noting that the state's ranchers and farmers are also battling increased criminal activity that threatens their lives and livelihoods.

"Our local sheriffs and their deputies are overwhelmed with crimes being carried out in our communities as a direct result of this open border crisis. Instead of focusing on responding to calls for service from our citizens, they're juggling the influx of drug trafficking, human smuggling, high speed chases, rapes, murders, and other atrocities from criminals either coming across our border from Mexico, or U.S. citizens who are trying to make money by participating in these crimes," Gowan commented.

One story that received media attention amid the Lukeville Port of Entry shutdown involved an American citizen who was forced to take an alternate route on his way back from Rocky Point. Craig Ricketts, an Arizona resident, was driving outside of Sasabe, Mexico, when he got caught in the crossfire of two rival smuggling gangs, KTVK reported. Ricketts' vehicle was shot at least 16 times, and he sustained two gunshot wounds to his ankle and arm.

"The first thing I noticed was my left window was shattered. I saw a bullet hole through my front window, and my radio was blown out with a bullet," Ricketts told the news outlet shortly after the attack.

He said he planned to travel through Nogales, but his GPS led him just outside Oquitoa, Sonora, roughly an hour and a half from Sasabe.

The Attorney General's Office in Sonora told the media outlet that it was the second violent incident in the last month involving an American victim.

According to KTVK, two rival smuggling gangs began fighting near Sasabe in November. Due to the conflict, many of the town's residents fled to the U.S. after being granted humanitarian waivers. The ongoing violent rivalry has also rocked communities south of Sasabe, including Altar, Caborca, and Benjamin Hill, the media outlet reported.

Lora Ries, the director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation and former acting deputy chief of staff for the DHS, told Blaze News, "The Lukeville Port of Entry was shut down because border agents were overrun due to the Biden administration's open border policies. If communities want a functioning border, they should direct their ire at the Biden administration and demand that it stop the illegal flow of people."

"Those who benefit from legal travel and immigration and demand more of it need to be vocal about advocating against illegal immigration. Solve the whole problem, not just their special need by exception," Ries added.

The port reopens, but issues remain

The Lukeville Port of Entry remained closed for a month before CBP announced it would resume field operations on January 4, 2024, just days after Ricketts was injured.

Nez told Blaze News that she is thankful the closure did not last longer and is happy to see her customers again.

"We're just hoping that another shutdown of the border doesn't happen, ever," she remarked. "It really caused a lot of trouble within our personal lives and our work lives."

When asked whether he is concerned the port could be shut down again, Grosse told Blaze News, "I don't know exactly what any government is going to do. Somebody's allocating these people — the migrants, or forces, or whatever it is — and they're designating where they're supposed to cross the border."

Grosse, who has managed rental properties in Rocky Point since 2010, explained that, during his recent travels between Arizona and Mexico, he has observed many migrants seeking asylum at the U.S. border who "look like foreign troops," noting that nearly all are adult males around military age. He noted that he began noticing this right after the October 7 attack on Israel.

"I've been traveling back and forth for years," he stated, noting that the experience has previously always been "incredibly normal."

"The reaction to: I'm seeing what looks like an army of troops coming across — everyone says it's not that; it's something else," he told Blaze News.

"And I'm supposed to ignore what I saw with my eyes. And I do have concern," Grosse added.

Jeff Rainforth, a reporter and videographer, recently spent seven weeks in Lukeville filming his experiences at the southern border.

In October, Rainforth captured video of large groups of illegal migrants he stated were mainly from Middle Eastern and African countries. His observations aligned with what Grosse described to Blaze News.

"It was surreal," Rainforth wrote, regarding his accounts in Lukeville. "Like out of an apocalyptic movie."

Been camping on the border in Lukeville, Arizona for 6 weeks and finally got the elusive footage of illegal aliens pouring through a cut open border wall. A Fox team found the cut, and Ali Bradley was there. My supply donation link on cashapp https://t.co/l3SbuRVb4l
— (@)

In a January post on X, he wrote, "From my time on the border near Lukeville, Arizona. The port of entry closed because so many illegal aliens were there. Mostly male illegal aliens from the African countries of Senegal and Guinea which are majority Islamic. Tensions were very high because people tried to cut in line to get on transport vehicles first. I see that all the time. There were so many illegal aliens, many had to sleep here 3 days. There's not enough Border Patrol and the Biden administration refused to call in the national guard to help."

From my time on the border near Lukeville, Arizona. The port of entry closed because so many illegal aliens were there. Mostly male illegal aliens from the African countries of Senegal and Guinea which are majority Islamic. Tensions were very high because people tried to cut in\u2026
— (@)

Anything else?

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) said last month that the state is "at a crucial juncture" regarding the number of migrants crossing the southern border.

"I hope that we don't see street releases. We're going to do everything we can to avoid that, but as you know, our budget picture isn't great, and we've expended a good amount of the funding we have for these programs," Hobbs stated.

The governor requested $752 million for CBP's Shelter and Services Program to cover the costs of humanitarian aid expenses in an effort to keep migrants off the street.

Pima County, which includes Lukeville, has been using federal funds since 2019 to provide temporary housing and transportation out of state for those claiming asylum.

The county has the largest linear border with Mexico than any county in the country, Sheriff Naños explained. Along that border and under the county's jurisdiction sit several small towns in addition to Lukeville, including Sasabe and Arivaca. Of all the townships and communities along Pima County's border with Mexico, the sheriff's department received only 126 calls in one year, according to Naños.

"And, of course, you have the Indian reservation, which takes up probably about I'm guessing, 70 to 75 miles of that border," he continued. "I wouldn't say it's open, but the reservation — most people don't realize this — the reservation is its own nation. … And their border actually exceeds south of the Mexico border. So, that reservation goes beyond the Mexican line that we know of. They have quite a bit of impact with the Mexican population and that governance."

Naños explained that federal funding to provide services to migrants was set to run out on April 1, igniting great concern that waves of individuals would be released onto the streets. He said that using Pima County or the city of Tucson's funds to address migrants' humanitarian needs means less money in the budget for his department and other community necessities.

"Fortunately, last minute, the federal government stepped in and has now taken on some responsibility. I guess at least for now until December to continue funding those asylum seekers," he told Blaze News.

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Cartel leaves 8 bodies along migrant smuggling route with chilling warning to rival gang: ‘Chihuahua has an owner’



The bodies of eight unidentified males were recently discovered near El Paso along a notorious and heavily trafficked illegal migrant smuggling route, the El Paso Times reported.

The victims were left in a field alongside the Pan-American Highway, which connects Chihuahua City to Juárez. Authorities discovered the gruesome scene around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, according to the media outlet.

Police reported that the eight victims showed signs of torture, including multiple stab and gunshot wounds. Some of the victims also showed signs of asphyxia. According to authorities, no bullet casings were found at the scene.

A Juárez municipal news statement explained that the cartel members who perpetrated the murders nailed a chilling message to one of the bodies with a knife that read, “Chihuahua tiene dueño,” which translates to “Chihuahua has an owner.” The note aimed to serve as a warning to a rival human smuggling gang battling for control of the trafficking route.

Victor Avila, a retired agent for Homeland Security Investigations, told the New York Post that the area where the bodies were discovered is “one of the most coveted trafficking corridors from Mexico that exist.”

“Just a few years ago, the cartels never dealt with humans, not human trafficking or human smuggling. You had human trafficking organizations and human smuggling organizations that’s all they did, and the cartels did the drugs and other things,” Avila stated. “But that’s what has completely changed. The cartels saw the amount of potential money to be made with the human [smuggling], and they’ve now taken over.”

“These human trafficking organizations and human smuggling organizations now have been incorporated and answer to the cartels, and that’s where a lot of the struggle is because, yes, the cartels do want that money to be paid to them,” he continued.

Authorities found two more victims inside a vehicle located up the road. Police believe the separate discoveries are connected, but it is unclear whether the two victims were killed by a rival gang or by their own cartel.

State Public Safety Director Gilberto Loya told Border Report, “We found a burned vehicle [18 miles] to the north that could be related to this event. They used it to move the bodies.”

“We have a precedent of homicides committed in that area directly related to human trafficking,” he added.

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Mexico's leftist president tries to extort America, demanding policy concessions and cash for help with border



Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has roughly six months left in office. It appears in that time, he will continue to alienate the U.S. and curry favor with his country's terroristic cartels.

Obrador revealed Friday that he won't combat Mexican drug cartels at the request of the American government, suggesting that doing so would run contrary to his "Mexico First" policy.

This announcement and the disturbing insinuations that accompanied it come just weeks after Obrador underlined what he expects from the U.S. in exchange for Mexico's cooperation in remedying the crisis at the border.

Mexico's fault, America's problem

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, drug overdose deaths are up 30% year over year. There are over 96,700 fatal drug overdoses every year, 72% of which are from opioids.

Much of that fatal opioid supply comes from Mexico. Often using precursors provided by the communist Chinese, Mexican cartels manufacture and traffic the drugs over the porous U.S.-Mexico border.

Obrador nevertheless suggested Friday that the drugs are a uniquely American problem, not a Mexican problem, reported the Associated Press.

The leftist president has repeatedly emphasized that demand, not supply, is the problem.

Last year, Obrador suggested the fentanyl crisis was caused by a "lack of hugs, of embraces."

"There is a lot of disintegration of families, there is a lot of individualism, there is a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces," said Obrador. "That is why they [U.S. officials] should be dedicating funds to address the causes."

After displacing blame over the opioid crisis once again, Obrador said in an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes" Friday, "We are not going to act as policemen for any foreign government."

"Mexico first. Our home comes first," said Obrador.

The outgoing president added, "Of course we are going to cooperate in fighting drugs, above all because it has become a very sensitive, very sad humanitarian issue, because a lot of people are dying in the United States because of fentanyl."

While Obrador provided a nationalistic rationale for not helping the U.S. tackle the cartels, he might have less noble reasons for failing to tackle his country's criminal elements.

Cartel links

The New York Times reported last month that American law enforcement officials have looked into allegations that elements of Obrador's regime have met with and taken millions of dollars from drug cartels — allegations the leftist president has called "completely false."

While it has long been understood that the cartels have infiltrated the Mexican state, it is unclear how far the corruption extends. One informant reportedly told U.S. investigators that Obrador's closest confidants met with Ismael Zambada García, a senior leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, before the Mexican president's 2018 electoral victory.

Another informant told the investigators that following Obrador's election, the funder of the Zetas cartel gave the leftist president's allies $4 million in hopes of getting freed from prison.

One source claimed to have videos of the president's son picking up drug money.

There have been other allegations, including those detailed by ProPublica, that drug traffickers poured millions of dollars into Obrador's first campaign in return for him turning a blind eye to their operations while in power. Obrador coincidentally campaigned on a "hugs, not bullets" approach to the drug war and has advocated against "demonizing" the cartels.

Extortion

Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that Obrador expects the Biden administration to confer legal status upon at least 5 million illegal aliens from Mexico presently residing in the U.S. His demands did not stop at amnesty for those flouting American immigration law.

Obrador also expects the Biden administration to call off its sanctions against Venezuela, lift the blockade against Cuba, and pour $20 billion every year into Latin American and Caribbean countries.

The Mexican regime, which announced last week it would refuse to accept deportees from Texas, has demonstrated in recent months that it is capable of damming the northward flood of illegal aliens.

CBS News reported that after over 250,000 illegal aliens stormed across the U.S.-Mexico border in December, Biden asked Mexico to contain the flow of migrants. Temporarily obliging the U.S. government, Mexico managed to help bring down the number of border crossings by 50%.

Obrador told "60 Minutes" that Mexico managed this reduction by being "more careful" about its own southern border as well as by asking the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes to help curb the flow of migrants.

Mexico reportedly also increased patrols at the border, deported migrants, and flew others to the south of the country. These efforts apparently were short-lived, as border-crossing numbers have recently begun to significantly spike again.

When pressed on what will happen if he does not get his way, Obrador told "60 Minutes" that "the flow of migrants will continue."

In addition to threatening to continue unlawfully exporting migrants to the U.S., Obrador claimed former President Donald Trump's threats to close the border and finish the border wall — a wall now supported by the majority of Americans — amounted to bluffs "because he needs Mexico."

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Some American lawmakers were prickled by Obrador's threat.

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisc.) wrote, "Mexico's corrupt leader is not our friend."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tweeted, "This is a war. He is basically saying either we meet his demands or the invasion continues."

Voters will soon have an opportunity to test Obrador's theory about whether Trump is bluffing about walling off the border. Trump has also contemplated doing what Obrador appears unwilling to do: Use military force to reduce the cartels to ash.

Trump is not the only Republican who has advocated for exterminating Mexican drug traffickers with extreme prejudice.

Reps. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) introduced a resolution last year that would "authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for trafficking fentanyl or a fentanyl-related substance into the United States or carrying out other related activities that cause regional destabilization in the Western Hemisphere."

The resolution did not advance in the previously Democrat-controlled Congress.

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