The authors explore the costs and benefits of a legalization program, contending that to realize the full benefits of comprehensive immigration reform and deter future unauthorized immigration, a broad and inclusive legalization program is needed.
Criminal extortion is on the rise in Mexico, particularly along the northern border states. Author Gary Hale shows how this trend has
fueled government corruption, with officials implicitly or explicitly aiding organized crime groups as they extort businesses and citizens.
Drug policy fellow Gary Hale discusses the Jan. 31, 2012, Senate testimony of James R. Clapper, U.S. chief of national intelligence, in which he indicates that Mexico and violent events in that country are not specific threats to the United States.
Government attacks on the infrastructure of the Gulf cartel and the Zetas in recent years are concrete examples of Mexico's efforts to retake its northeastern states from the hands of drug traffickers.