Drug Cartels and Illegal Immigration in Austin

Mr. Robbie Cooper posted a commentary titled “How Austin Became a Foothold for a Mexican Cartel”, in the Urban Grounds blog, based on the article published by the Austin-American Statesman regarding Mexican cartel’s infiltration in Austin.

The writer’s opinion is that Austin’s liberals and their liberal sanctuary city policies are responsible for the invasion of the drug cartels and the crimes they pursue.  Cooper informs us that most of the drug cartel members are illegal immigrants that come from Luvianos, Mexico.  It was suggested in his commentary that the federal government should control the border by bringing US troops back from the Middle East and placing them on the US/ Mexican boundary.  Cooper believes that the best solution to end illegal immigration and control the cartels is by shooting everyone who tries to cross over the border from Mexico. 

It is completely agreeable that illegal immigration and drug related crimes are serious issues that need to be addressed and managed.  Although this is an obvious statement, the solution for these problems, are far more complex than Mr. Cooper has taken into consideration.  For instance, it is very difficult to judge if all illegal immigrants really deserve a bullet in their heads.  In addition, the actual federal government might not have the means to control the Mexican border because most US troops are concentrated in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It is reasonable to remember that they were sent there by the previous federal conservative, republican, government.

Mr. Cooper also mentioned that the Austin-American Statesman did not blame anybody for this terrible situation.  While the writer was disappointed at the paper for its impartiality, it was definitely the best approach to deliver the news.  Lastly, Mr. Cooper is unforgiving towards Austin’s Public Safety Commission for not recognizing the cartel’s influence sooner.

The writer makes a clear point of how he regards illegal immigrants and their cooperation with the drug cartels; however, Cooper was not able to present a solid, constructive, idea to solve the crisis.  Nevertheless, his focus was to attract support from the conservatives, while his approach will certainly offend many liberals who most likely never intend to assist the drug cartels by any means.