Earlier this month, four Americans were kidnapped after crossing the US border into the Mexican city of Matamoros. It has been reported that they were traveling from Texas to the border city to attend a cosmetic surgery appointment when armed men shot their vehicle and dragged the Americans into the back of a truck. Two of them died and a Mexican bypasser was killed in the confrontation. The other two survivors were handed over on the 7th of March to US diplomatic authorities as well as the remains of the other Americans who were killed. 

Violence in the city of Matamoros is attributed to the different factions of the Gulf Cartel who compete for control of the route for drug smuggling into the US, particularly synthetic opioid fentanyl and methamphetamines. However, this case gained particular attention as the video of the kidnappings went viral and was shown on most notable media outlets (such as CNN, CBS News, and the Washington Post). The FBI offered over $50,000 in rewards for information that might lead to the rescue of the Americans and to those responsible for the kidnappings. Although it has been claimed that US law enforcement was not involved in the search physically, Mexican agencies cooperated with US intelligence to find the victims  In the following days, the Gulf Cartel issued an apology letter directed to the society of Matamoros, Areli Pablo Servando’s family (the Mexican woman killed in the crossfire), and the affected Americans. The cartel also handed over five men who were claimed to be directly responsible for the kidnappings.  

The incident is of particular relevance as it has occurred while the sentiment in Capitol Hill is that Mexico is not doing enough to fight organised crime. The Matamoros case follows the introduction of a bill by US Republican representatives, Michael Waltz (Florida) and Dan Crenshaw (Texas) from last January. The bill presented aimed to authorise the US military to target cartels in Mexico. Senator Lindsey Graham also expressed his intention to introduce legislation that declared Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, which in theory,  would allow for intervention by US armed forces into Mexican territory without the country’s consent. 

Mexican president Lopez Obrador declared that the initiative would be an attack on Mexico’s sovereignty and that he would not allow foreign government intervention. Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs, expressed that the country cannot accept US intervention and that deeming drug cartels as terrorist groups could bring catastrophic consequences to the binational cooperation against drugs. US Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, has also rejected the idea, expressing that the US military will not solve the issues with cartels and that the priority relies on both countries working together. Since October 2021, Salazar has met with the Attorney General and presented a new security framework, the Bicentennial Agreement. Among other points, it accelerates the extradition process of Mexican drug lords in the last months and increases the information exchange between authorities. The agreement follows the Merida Initiative adopted in 2008, an approach consisting of binational actions to strengthen security cooperation. 

Taking into account that the Senate is in the hands of the Democrats, the bill introduced by the Republican representatives is unlikely to pass. However, frustrations in the US have continued to build as opioid addictions increase. Republican officials have accused Biden of not taking enough action to contain the deaths from opioids, which were 109,000 between February 2021 and February 2022. They have criticised the administration’s border policy and have also attributed the increase of fentanyl in the US to migrants bringing drugs with them across the border. However, it is unconfirmed (and unlikely) that migrants seeking asylum in the US are bringing fentanyl with them. 

What could this mean?

• Relations with Mexico and border issues might return to the headlines in the US as presidential elections approach. Trumpism proved the topic to be a politically profitable tactic and might increase diplomatic tensions, which would counter Lopez Obrador’s approach of “hugs not bullets” to organised crime. 

• Recently, more American companies are interested in looking into manufacturing in Mexico as an alternative location to China (such as Tesla in Monterrey). However, the growing media attention to violent cases, such as the Matamoros case, and the growing concern of fentanyl addiction, might lead to more pressure on the Mexican government to intervene in private companies.

*photo from the Wilson Centre