Our southwest border with Mexico is completely unlike any other part of the United States. It is also a place that needs to be personally experienced in order to fully understand the complexities and nuances of life next to another country. But Mexico is not just any country; it is our third largest trading partner, and our two nations share a cultural bond that goes back over a hundred years. This cross-border relationship hasn’t always been pretty, and at some points in history, it has been downright ugly. However, US and Mexican citizens have always found a way to exchange ideas, trade goods, and friendships.
After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, our relationship with Mexico became much more complicated. Some of us became concerned about terrorists entering the United States to do us harm by crossing the border from Mexico. Drug cartels–which had existed rather quietly for decades–were now cutting off people’s heads and massacring hundreds of innocent migrants, all in the pursuit of enormous drug profits. These cartels operate fluidly on both sides of the border and engage in violent activity throughout the United States.
However, they behave very differently here than they do in Mexico, and much of their illicit–and often violent–activity goes unnoticed by most of America. Reports of cartel-initiated murders, home invasions, kidnappings, and assaults on US law enforcement are usually relegated to local media outlets. These outlets often don’t have the time or ability to follow up on these stories months later, which is when cartel connections are frequently made. As a result, the rest of the country gets an inaccurate picture of what the security situation is like along various parts of our southwest border. Not all of its 2,000-mile expanse is a war zone, but it’s not all peace, love, and happiness either.
After serving for eight years in the US Air Force as an officer and special agent, I worked for four years as a senior intelligence analyst for the State of California. I researched and wrote extensively about cartel organizations, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, human smuggling, and other illicit activities in which cartels were engaged. Since 2009, I have worked independently as a consultant and writer, and my focus on these issues has continued, although my audience has changed. My passion for informing concerned Americans about Mexico’s drug war and border security issues has manifested itself during this time in two books and numerous print, academic, and online pieces for a wide variety of media outlets.
Now I have the opportunity to share my experience and analysis of these issues through Breitbart Texas. In the eight years I have spent researching and writing about the drug war and border security, I have yet to come across a media company with such a strong desire to focus a significant portion of its attention on these issues. I have said repeatedly in my books, writings, and media interviews that I don’t believe our national leaders view the violence in Mexico as a threat to our national security, nor do they view border security as a high enough priority. I hope that my contributions to Breitbart Texas help more Americans understand how these issues affect not only border residents, but our citizens in every corner of this country.
I believe one of my strongest assets is my ability to present important information about the drug war and the border in a non-partisan fashion and fully supported by concrete facts–something every analyst strives to do. My mission as a contributing editor for Breitbart Texas will rest on these principles, and I am dedicated to providing readers with information and analysis they can bank on when it comes to these issues.
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