Accidents

The murders in Ciudad Juárez of Lesley Enriquez, a consulate worker, her husband, Arthur Redelf, and Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, the husband of another consulate worker, has refocused American attention of the ongoing violence along the U.S.- Mexican border. In what seems like a miracle, the baby of Ms. Enriquez and Mr. Redelf and the two children of Mr. Ceniceros survived. The fact that the two children were injured makes it more likely their survival was accidental than intentional. Initial evidence indicates that a gang named Los Aztecas committed the attacks, potentially at the behest of the Juárez Cartel.

In fact, the two attacks may themselves have been accidents, something that happens all too frequently along the border. The fact of the matter is that the cartels and the gangs that work with them, already in violent conflict with each other and the Mexican government, have little incentive to bring down the full wrath of the United States.

The 18,000 deaths that have occurred since President Calderón came to office promising to battle the drug cartels have been anything but an accident, however. They are the result of a pitched battle between the Mexican government and a group of cartels that are well financed, highly experienced, and remorselessly brutal. It is rare that a week goes by without bodies being found in the desert that have decapitated or otherwise disfigured.

The results of the conflict so far could best be described as a stalemate. Why the lack of success? We know what the problems are, but the most obvious solutions to those problems immediately run aground. Consider the firearms the cartels use. According to the ATF, ninety percent of the weapons seized at the border or following raids and shootings come from the U.S. The majority of these come from the states bordering Mexico: Texas, New Mexico, Utah and California. Attempts to curb access to guns in those states, however, by limiting purchases to one gun at a time or to one gun a month, immediately run into fierce opposition by Second Amendment advocates.

Another obvious solution would be to legalize marijuana. Doing so would immediately deprive the drug cartels of highly lucrative market. Voters in California are considering this very option, and are set to vote on a ballot initiative to this effect later this year. However, nationally, the issue is a nonstarter. The U.S. has spent the better part of forty years, untold billions of dollars, and countless lives on an unsuccessful War on Drugs. An about-face now would be unthinkable.

Or consider tighter border controls. Drugs seep into the United States hidden in the secret components of cars and trucks, in luggage, in people. Guns and money flow south in the same way, although money is sometimes aggregated and transferred from banks in the U.S. to Mexican exchange houses immediately over the border. Increasing the number and accuracy of searches of vehicles coming over the border, however, would catch up commercial vehicles as well, slowing vital trade between the U.S. and Mexico. Penalizing U.S. banks for failing to scrupulously regulate monetary transfers, it is argued, has the same effect.

The United States attempt to assist Mexico while working within these restrictions has resulted in the Mérida Initiative. The Initiative’s original package transferred hardware like Blackhawk helicopters and drug scanning equipment to Mexico, as well as money to strengthen the judiciary, reduce corruption and generally further the rule of law. The second installment, partially spurred by the deaths of Ms. Enriquez, Mr. Redelf, and Mr. Ceniceros, will focus more exclusively on this latter goal.

There are good reasons for this. Mexican citizens and human rights organizations have raised serious concerns about the conduct of Mexican police, military personnel and prosecutors. Indeed, there are few people who wouldn’t support improvement in these categories—but this is a long-term objective that will do little to help Mexican’s who feel as though they live in a battlefield. Bringing about a short-term change will require the political courage to face difficult, even intractable, problems. All options need to be on the table.

The Obama Administration raised eyebrows last year when a senior official admitted that American’s insatiable appetite for narcotics was fueling the drug war. With that acknowledgment came an obligation to help bring about a workable, lasting solution. That obligation isn’t just to the accidental deaths of our own citizens. It is also to the deaths of thousands of Mexican citizens who have been caught in the crossfire of criminals seeking to bring their product north to the United States.