WASHINGTON—Half-measures against cartels aren't just ineffective, they're dangerous, Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) explained during an exclusive interview with Cactus Politics.
The Arizona congressman says any serious effort to dismantle cartel operations can't be a four-year project that gets abandoned by the next administration. The cartels are surpassing security regulations through their growing organization.
"If you're going to go after the cartels, you have to be very serious about doing that," Crane said. "They don't play by a Geneva convention. They're very brutal, very well funded, very organized."
Crane points to the Trump-to-Biden administration transition as a cautionary tale. The first Trump administration made progress on border security, only to see Biden "unraveled everything," forcing a restart.
At a recent Homeland Security Committee hearing, officials revealed that 18,000 known and suspected terrorists entered the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to Crane. The congressman says he knew it was a problem, but didn't realize the scope would be that large.
"You're seeing terrorist attacks especially over the last, I would say, couple of weeks really escalate and pick up," he said. "That's always a big concern of mine."
His belief goes beyond knowing that the cartels won't let their multi-billion dollar business crumble without retaliation; any crackdown must deliver serious capabilities and sustain it beyond one presidential term.
