Christian Smith
El Paso, Texas (Border Report) – The president of Mexico denies that his country is obstructing the visas of US drug agents trying to contain the flow of fentanyl into his country. President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador also suggests that Americans focus on addressing the root causes of drug addiction in their communities.
“The main problem in the United States today is the pandemic of fentanyl consumption,” López Obrador said in his Monday press conference on YouTube. “It is very painful to see 100,000 young people lose their lives. They are not addressing the causes and it is very easy for them to blame Mexico.”
The comments came in response to a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing last week, in which Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram confirmed that the DEA agents are waiting up to eight months to obtain work visas from Mexico. These agents and analysts are tasked with tracking down the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels that are illegally exporting tons of fentanyl pills to the United States.
The López Obrador government responded Friday to the accusations by saying that Mexico is a sovereign country and has a well-defined procedure for processing agents’ visas. On Monday, the Mexican president stood firm and rejected the notion among conservatives in both countries that his “Hugs, not bullets” strategy when it comes to drug cartels is not working.
“I don’t agree when they say that ‘Hugs, not bullets’ doesn’t work. Wait a little because it takes time”, said the president known in his country as AMLO. “Some think we should use force, that this will be resolved with coercive actions. You cannot meet evil with evil. You meet evil with good and peace is the fruit of justice.”
In his three-hour press conference, López Obrador warned his national and international audience that Mexico already tried hard-line tactics against drug cartels in the early 2000s and it backfired. Homicides soared and a police force that initially declared war on drug traffickers ended up working for them.
He also alleged that previous U.S. administrations privately boasted about telling Mexican authorities where and when to target cartels.
López Obrador ended the topic by saying that Mexicans consume fewer drugs than Americans because they are strong in their family, social and religious values.
“We must ensure that (drug) consumption does not increase because then comes more violence. Where do we have the most homicides? Where there is more consumption. What do we have to do? Seeking that families remain together, that values are strengthened and young people are cared for,” he said, “that we don’t insult them by saying ‘you don’t work, you don’t study’, but give them the opportunity to work and study. But the conservative mentality cannot conceive of this, especially those who want to resolve everything with a strong hand.”
The Mexican president also addressed the issue of immigration on Monday, saying that his administration continues to work with the Biden administration to manage migratory flows. He said the two countries remain good allies and good friends. But as with drugs, he said the root causes of the problem must be addressed at the source.
