Counterinsurgency or Sovereignty Loss? Crenshaw’s Tactic to Fight Mexican Drug Cartels

In the past seven years, Mexico has ceased cartel prosecutions across the country. Now, the U.S. Congress is considering whether to support President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration in reversing that trend. This is where Rep. Dan Crenshaw enters the picture. He is leading a counterinsurgency initiative to send military assistance to Mexico and draw on FBI and CIA expertise, similar to U.S. involvement in Colombia during the 1990s and the capture of Pablo Escobar.

“We are fighting a counterinsurgency war alongside our Mexican partners, and we need to resource it and strategize,” he said, according to the San Antonio Express-News. “There’s a lot of opportunities now that did not exist a year ago.”

Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, says he has been studying Mexico’s cartel situation for the past two years. He believes this moment is critical, as cartels have gained control over many institutions in the country. In simple terms, they are not only smuggling drugs but also trafficking women and children, according to Tony Payan, executive director of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico at Rice University.

Genaro García Luna, former Secretary of Public Security in Mexico, was sentenced to 38 years in prison by a U.S. judge after being found guilty of helping the Sinaloa Cartel smuggle cocaine into the U.S. for decades.

“It’s been tried before. I don’t see the novelty in the proposal,” Payan said, noting that the George W. Bush administration employed a similar strategy to uproot the cartels, with mixed results. “Today more than ever, the links between government officials, governors, mayors, secretaries of state, politicians, party leaders, and organized crime are evident.”

After Donald Trump proposed sending U.S. troops to help Mexico fight cartels, something many U.S. hardliners support, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum argued such actions could threaten Mexico’s sovereignty.

Crenshaw’s approach involves offering military training and additional support to Mexico as a way to establish stronger ties with Sheinbaum’s incoming administration. He has been meeting frequently with members of her team, who he says are committed to fighting the cartels. In a recent op-ed, Crenshaw outlined his plan to send Blackhawk helicopters, aircraft, and surveillance tools to Mexico, on the condition that U.S. personnel are allowed to provide training and oversight, with strong safeguards to address longstanding concerns about corruption.

“I wouldn’t be bothering with all this work if we were still with the AMLO administration, it just wouldn’t be worth it,” Crenshaw said. “I get the reports on what they’re doing, and the action has vastly increased. They’re taking down guys; the biggest fentanyl bust ever. It’s a very clear difference.”