Expert Sylvia Longmire: Mexican Drug Cartels Infesting US, Even Our National Parks

"Roberta Jacobson, deputy secretary of state for Mexico and Canada, said on April 12 that Mexican drug cartels are now operating in 230 American cities. Drug trafficking 'is not a crisis that affects only the border,' Jacobson said. ''It's a crisis in our cities across the country.'"

Why don't most Americans know the extent of the Mexican drug cartels' influence in the U.S.?

"Americans have confused the issue of immigration with what is a serious national security issue at the border -- and drug traffickers have capitalized on the confusion. Illegal immigration is controversial, but worrying about Juan and Maria is totally separate from the issue of criminal drug trafficking. The cartels have been able to hide behind the immigration issue. It's perfect for them that the attention is on illegal aliens, not them."

What does the immediate future hold?

"The cartels are testing us. If they find out they can overwhelm us and continue to get away with murders and kidnappings, they'll spread even deeper in the U.S. Drug interdiction is not working. There is no strategy in place to separate the issue of illegals from criminal traffickers. Both the U.S. and Mexican government need to do some rethinking, because the situation is only getting worse."

source: Expert Sylvia Longmire: Mexican Drug Cartels Infesting US, Even Our National Parks