GOP Senate candidates talk about Mexico’s drug war

Greg Sowards says there are ‘no quick or easy answers’ to Mexico’s drug war; Heather Wilson says the United States must ‘continue to extend operational control of our border.’

This post continues a series on the U.S. Senate and 1st Congressional District candidates’ stances on various policy issues.

Greg Sowards says the long-term solution to Mexico’s drug war is to help Mexicans “realize their own potential” by encouraging free-market reforms; Heather Wilson says the United States must control its borders and disrupt the operations of Mexican drug cartels.

Sowards, a Republican candidate for New Mexico’s open U.S. Senate seat, said the situation in Mexico is not just a drug war, but is “lawlessness that has pervaded the society at every level” as “the societal structure has broken down.”

Securing the border, supporting the Mexican military’s efforts to fight drug traffickers and gangs, and ensuring access to areas where undocumented immigrants travel by opposing wilderness designations along the border are steps Sowards wants to take to combat the spillover violence in the United States.

But, in the long run, he said, “the key metric for success comes from encouraging free-market reform in Mexico to bring more people above their poverty line,” which he said would “give Mexicans the economic opportunity to provide for their families closer to home instead of desperately taking to criminal acts or coming to America illegally.”

“Mexico is a resource-rich nation, with a wonderful cultural society and social mores, if allowed to survive,” Sowards said.

Wilson, Sowards’ opponent in the GOP Senate primary, focused on border security in response to a question about Mexico’s drug war, saying securing the border “requires a combination of people, technology, policies and barriers where appropriate.”

She noted that there has been a significant increase in violence in Mexico that some call “a narco-insurgency because they are undermining local police and governance,” and noted that some of the corruption has “spilled over into Southern New Mexico.”

“The United States must continue to extend operational control of our border,” Wilson said. “The Border Patrol must secure the border forward, and not just on the main roads a significant distance from the border.”

She said the United States “must also strengthen intelligence collection in northern Mexico in order to disrupt the funding and operations of the narco-cartels operating there.”

The question

The Republican U.S. Senate candidates made their comments in response to a question from NMPolitics.net about Mexico’s drug war. NMPolitics.net gave them no word minimum or limit, telling them to say what they had to say. The only criterion was that they not engage in personal attacks.

Here’s the question NMPolitics.net asked:

• Mexico’s drug war hasn’t gotten as much attention in the United States as conflicts in some other foreign nations, but it’s been a destabilizing force in New Mexico’s neighbor – whose economy is arguably intertwined with that of the United States – and has had a tangible impact in the United States, with cartels operating in many states and some documented instances of spillover violence in Southern New Mexico and elsewhere. That’s on top of the humanitarian crisis the war has created in areas of Mexico including our neighbor, Cuidád Juarez. What policies and action do you support to address the crisis?

Their responses, published in their entirety:

Greg Sowards

“A stable and peaceful neighbor on the south will be a great advantage to New Mexico and America. As a business owner in Southern New Mexico, I see firsthand the devastating impact this war has had on families.

“Unlike my opponent, I grew up in New Mexico and remember the quieter times of cross-border commerce and tourism. The United States should work actively on both sides of the border, reinforcing immigration-control capacity and law enforcement here while cooperating with Mexico to build security for their citizens.

“We have had clients go to Mexico for a doctors visit and return with stories of family members getting killed while there! One employee’s uncle who owned an auto body shop in Juárez was approached with an extortion offer for protection. After he refused, several months later his business was attacked and he and his two son ‘n’ laws were gunned down, leaving a total of 12 children with no father.

“This is not just a drug war; this is lawlessness that has pervaded the society at every level. Hearts have hardened as the social structure has broken down. Big money has corrupted officials at every level. Vigilantism has sprung up as an effort to regain a civil society as a backlash to that corruption. We should stand ready to help the good people of Mexico reestablish their societal values and regain the desires of every parent; that their children be raised in a peaceful and structured society. Who would be against that?

“One of my sons is a Border Patrol agent. That service becomes more dangerous as drugs enter the picture of border security. They are flooded with illegal immigrants, most are Mexican people breaking our immigration laws but some are armed, hardened criminals running drugs and trafficking people.

“Gangs established in American cities are also real threats to our own way of life. We must come up with innovative plans to counteract their growth and influence on our own culture.

“1. We need to secure the border. It is naive to say that it is not a matter of national defense. We use U.S. troops to secure the borders of other countries around the world; they should be used to secure our borders if needed as well, particularly in high-traffic areas. Not as gunslingers, but to give a presence and to show our fortitude in closing the border.

“2. We need to support the Mexican military in its fight with drug traffickers and gangs wherever they have a need and ask for help, stopping short of U.S. troops on the ground in Mexico. The use of drones along the border and where they can assist Mexico are welcomed by me.

“3. Ensure access to areas where illegal immigrants gather and travel. Unlike our present Democrat Senators Udall and Bingaman, I will vote against wilderness designations
along the border limiting access by the Border Patrol and those who enforce our laws. Our first priority is to protect America; we need full access to any area where illegal activity is taking place on such a large scale.

“4. In the long run, the key metric for success comes from encouraging free-market reform in Mexico to bring more people above their poverty line to give Mexicans the economic opportunity to provide for their families closer to home instead of desperately taking to criminal acts or coming to America illegally.

“Mexico is a resource-rich nation, with a wonderful cultural society and social mores, if allowed to survive. The attraction of life in America will decrease as the people of Mexico start to realize their own potential from generation to generation. No quick or easy answers here.”

Heather Wilson

“The United States must have effective control of our borders. That requires a combination of people, technology, policies and barriers where appropriate so that it is highly likely that if someone crosses the border illegally they will be caught and either prosecuted or sent immediately back to their country of origin. The increased resources to secure the border since 2005, which I supported, have reduced the flow of people across our southern border. However, many of those still coming are well-organized, armed human traffickers and drug cartels. It is very dangerous.

“We have also seen a significant increase in violence on the Mexico side of the border. Over the past several years, violence between cartels has escalated and undermined effective governance in northern Mexico. Some describe it as a narco-insurgency because they are undermining local police and governance. Some of the corruption has spilled over into Southern New Mexico.

“The United States must continue to extend operational control of our border. The Border Patrol must secure the border forward, and not just on the main roads a significant distance from the border. We must also strengthen intelligence collection in Northern Mexico in order to disrupt the funding and operations of the narco-cartels operating there.”