MS-13 is terrorizing Santa Cruz and other cities around the country, and U.S. officials have taken notice, with many calling for increased deportations and stronger border protections. This is a good start, but unless more is done to deter people from joining this international gang in the first place, their members will keep coming to our shores.
Santa Cruz is a prime example of the threat posed to the United States by MS-13’s growing presence.. While authorities arrested 12 members of the gang in Santa Cruz County and Daly City earlier this year for murder, extortion, drug trafficking and other crimes, the gang continues to threaten and scare communities. It is time to take action at the source of the problem.
Thankfully, U.S. officials have taken notice, with many calling for increased deportations and stronger border protections. This is a good start, but unless more is done to deter people from joining this international gang in the first place, their members will keep coming to Santa Cruz.
Ground zero for MS-13 recruitment is Central America, where the cartel began in the wake of political and economic instability. MS-13 exploits the lack of jobs, education and opportunity and promises wealth and power to those who will join. To combat MS-13’s infiltration, the U.S. must encourage investments in the region that put people to work and keep them off the streets.
The U.S. can start by lending support to Guatemala where a major economic development project is in serious jeopardy. A frivolous lawsuit is threatening the country’s largest mine and the livelihoods of the thousands of workers it employs. To protect communities in the United States, the Trump Administration must encourage the continued operation of the mine because the jobs it provides are essential to protecting Guatemalans from the lure of MS-13.
Guatemala is a key transit point in the flow of illegal drugs from South America — nearly 90 percent of narcotics pass through Central America and most through Guatemala. While geographic location makes Guatemala an ideal spot on this route, it’s the country’s instability, corruption and weak institutions that make it particularly attractive to criminals and traffickers.
The Escobal mine in San Rafael, the world’s third largest silver mine, has helped combat these destabilizing forces by creating jobs and providing crucial investment in the country. The mine supports nearly 8,000 workers and has brought more than $1 billion to Guatemala through taxes, wages and contribution to community services and sustainability initiatives. This investment helps the country build and support the institutions it needs, like a strong police force and robust judiciary, to combat gangs and illegal drug trafficking.
But the investment and jobs provided by Escobal have been put at risk by an anti-mining group, which has filed a lawsuit to close the mine over claims that the indigenous community was not properly consulted. The group successfully won a two-month suspension of the mining license, and while a recent court decision has allowed operations to resume, protestors have blocked the road to the mine and are keeping it from operating.
Guatemala also cannot afford to drive away companies like Tahoe Resources, the mine’s operator, which contributes millions in taxes to the country. The State Department has identified low tax revenue as a major contributing factor to the weakness of Guatemala’s institutions. Taking away additional revenue will severely hinder the ability of the developing nation to seriously and substantively address gang violence and narco trafficking from a law enforcement, judicial and correctional perspective.
It’s not just the loss of the jobs, tax revenue and other economic contributions by the Escobal mine that is at stake. If the mine is closed for good, it will send the message that outside businesses should think twice about investing in Guatemala. It will put a chill on the foreign investment in the developing nation — a disastrous outcome for the United States and Guatemala in their work to stop the pipeline of illegal drugs and criminals that move through the country.
The United States has spent more than $1 billion in Central America over the last 12 years to strengthen the region and bolster it against the threat of drug traffickers and violent gangs. Guatemala is central to this strategy, and the Escobal mine is central to the country’s success and stability.
Creating jobs in Central America helps promote stability and economic prosperity, giving an incentive for Central Americans to seek jobs at home, and helps stem the flow of illegal immigrants across the southern border of the United States.
Andrew Langer is President of the Institute for Liberty