Phoenix, AZ – On Monday, three women and six children were murdered in a surprise ambush on their convoy in Mexico by multiple cartel gunmen. Six other children were wounded.
All the victims reportedly hold dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico. Five of the wounded children were transferred to a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
The victims are from La Mora, a Mormon religious community in northern Mexico.
President Donald Trump publicly addressed the tragedy in a series of Tweets, offering Mexico assistance in stopping the cartels. Notably, President Trump claimed the United States was ready “to wage war on the drug cartels.”
President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, claimed “war” was not “an option.”
“We declared war, and it didn’t work,” Lopez Obrador said, referring to the policies of previous administrations. “That is not an option.”
From: Mexican cartel massacre: 9 Americans, including 6 children from Mormon offshoot murdered, by Danielle Wallace
Sending American troops to war is the last thing most Americans want. But, while war is absolutely a last resort, we are unsure of what options remain.
The cartels are destroying Mexico and the United States. They claim the lives of Americans, Mexicans, and countless other nationalities through human trafficking and the drug trade. Cartels respect no border and no law.
Endless cartel violence must stop. If options besides all-out war exist, Mexico and the United States should pursue them.
Regardless, the United States and Mexico need to punish these despicable actions.