Recent investigations reveal a staggering flow of firearms from the U.S. to Mexico, contributing to escalating violence and migration crises driven by drug cartels. In 2022 alone, around 135,000 firearms were smuggled across the border, with military-grade weapons, such as those used in a cartel’s attack that downed a helicopter in 2015, linked to legal purchases in the U.S.
This influx of weapons not only escalates gang violence but correlates with a dramatic increase in the homicide rate in Mexico. The evidence suggests that 88% of Mexican migrants to the U.S. in 2023 were fleeing violence, highlighting the direct impact of U.S. gun regulations—or lack thereof—on the region’s security situation and human migration trends.
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