WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Sheriff Alliance held a meeting in Washington, DC last week to address the growing concern over the increasing overdose deaths and violence caused by two main transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels. These TCOs are responsible for bringing illicit narcotics into the United States and their operations have led to over 107,000 drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in August 2022, as reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Despite the devastating impact of the Mexican drug cartels, there has been little action taken to address this issue. The sheriffs are calling for a change in foreign policy and greater pressure on the Mexican government to take action against these criminal organizations. They emphasize that this is not just a partisan issue but a life-and-death issue, affecting not just the southern border, but also the northern and maritime borders.
Sheriffs from various organizations including the National Sheriffs’ Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, Western States Sheriffs’ Association, Southwestern Border Sheriffs’ Coalition, and Texas Border Sheriffs’ Coalition, have made it clear that this is not just a public safety and public health issue, but also a human rights issue with sexual assaults, human trafficking, and enslavement also caused by these cartels.
The American Sheriff Alliance is urging the public to demand their elected officials to use all available resources to combat the atrocities committed by the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels. They believe that immediate and comprehensive action is necessary to identify and destroy these criminal operations, which continue to destroy families and communities across the country.