We Share Mexico's Pain, and the U.S. Must Shoulder Responsibility for the Mounting Crises It Faces

What happens in Mexico doesn't stay in Mexico.Our southern neighbor is wrestling with an alarming surge in cartel violence, a U.S. security crackdown on its northern border and a glut of migrant refugees slipping through its back door. All of which affects us directly or indirectly.The situation demands our attention and a redoubling of efforts to create sound, effective policy.Simply put, an unstable and unsafe Mexico isn't good for Texas. Our economies are too entwined. Mexico is our No. 1 trade partner by far. It's also not good for American industries that depend on lucrative trade deals and cheaper labor supplied by immigrants chasing the American dream. And it's not good for American communities struggling with the consequences of illicit drugs flowing into cities, suburbs and rural hamlets.Let's start with the uptick in homicides. There's no way to romanticize the resurgence in cartel conflicts that are turning once-tranquil towns in Mexico into killing fields.The Mexican government's war on drugs and cartels isn't working. Mexico is on pace for its deadliest year with 12,155 murders recorded from January through June.  Continue reading...