ABSTRACT
This statement by General McCaffrey set off a firestorm of debate inside Washington, DC, policy-making circles. Are the Mexican cartels a U.S national security risk, or have we overblown the threat? Is their activity in the United States terroristic, or merely criminal in nature? The answers to these pressing, complex questions will certainly determine our course of action as a nation. The challenges posed by Mexican drugtrafficking organizations (DTOs) are escalating in Mexico, as well as in the United States and other countries. Further, the dangerous liaisons between DTOs, international terrorist groups, and transnational gangs such as MS-13 are worrisome to law enforcement not only at the border but in our country.
