International

US bets on new approach to anti-drug policies in Latin America

Photo; AP

February 14th |

The Biden administration will redouble its domestic efforts and binational cooperation with Mexico to combat the fentanyl crisis in the United States, which has resulted in 70,000 overdose deaths annually.

In an interview with Voice of America, the director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, Rahul Gupta, indicated that the fentanyl crisis “does not begin or end at the border”, despite the fact that, according to official data, the vast majority of the synthetic opioid is produced by Mexican cartels and enters the country through the southern border.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported seizing enough fentanyl in 2022 to potentially have killed the entire U.S. population.

Gupta acknowledged that “there is no question” that “mistakes have been made in the past,” referring to U.S. anti-drug policy and its cooperation with countries in the Western Hemisphere. His statement is an alternate response to the position of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who has called the anti-drug policy of several U.S. administrations “a failure”.

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Question: What are the next steps this administration will take on the fentanyl crisis?

Answer: It is a priority for President Biden. When he went to Mexico to talk to President Lopez Obrador, as well as Prime Minister Trudeau, this was one of the most important things he also talked about. It’s important that we make sure that we have educational campaigns, especially so that children are aware and understand that they have the power not only to be aware of this deadly threat, but also to have Naloxone, the antidote, so that they can help their friends and others. In addition, making sure that we have the treatment available to everyone who needs it – we know that too many Americans today cannot get the treatment – then, along with the antidote, getting more people treated.

In this administration, President Biden highlighted how we have reached the highest levels of fentanyl seizures at the border, double that in 2020 and four times that in 2019. Why? Because we have implemented technology to be able to detect more. But the problem doesn’t start or end at the border. We have to work with Mexico. We have to work with them because we have a shared responsibility for the safety, security and health for the people of both countries.

What exactly is Mexico’s role in this strategy?

Mexico has a very important role as our neighbor to the south, as well as a long-time partner. Our relationship is often complex, but we know that people in Mexico are dying from overdoses and fentanyl intoxication just as they are in the United States. So, it’s very important that we work with a shared sense of responsibility, make sure that we are working to protect our country, that we are going after the bad actors who are intent on harming Americans and Mexicans.

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At the same time, we are working to improve public health treatment and the antidote Naloxone, or Narcan, and make it available to anyone who needs it.

When President Biden says the U.S. will hold producers and traffickers accountable here in the U.S., how much does the U.S. trust Mexico on this issue?

It’s very important. As you know, in this administration we have some of the highest numbers of extraditions. We have made sure that we provide assistance to Mexico, in partnership, as a key player in helping us, but we also want to make sure that traffickers, manufacturers and others are held accountable for their actions in taking advantage of vulnerable people. This is important because we want to make sure that they do not profit at the expense of unsuspecting people dying and being poisoned. So it is important, whether in the United States or across the border, that our governments hold bad actors accountable in a strong way.

How close or far do you think the United States is from reversing the trend of fentanyl overdose deaths?

If you look at it, we’ve had over 107,000 [deaths]. And, clearly, the numbers were rising before the pandemic and were exacerbated during the pandemic for obvious reasons, like social isolation, the initial shutdown of treatment and all of that. During the pandemic, especially with President Biden’s leadership, what we’ve seen is more telehealth, which means more health care assistance to provide treatment to people in rural areas, in underserved communities through telemedicine.

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We also saw the removal of barriers. And we have also seen an increase in prescribing of antidotes and treatments. Because of some of these activities, combined with the seizure of more fentanyl and the prosecution of traffickers, we are seeing in five months in a row a decrease in the number of people dying from fentanyl overdoses. But let me tell you, that’s not enough, because, while we’re happy to see nearly 3,000 lives saved, we have a long way to go.

Does this White House believe that the war on drugs is a “failed campaign,” as the president of Colombia has called it?

Let me tell you this: when President Petro took office in Colombia early last year, I helped him and worked with him as the first U.S. delegation. We had a good long conversation about it, and I said, “look, we recognize that not all U.S. policies have proven to have been successful, but the important part is that we have a problem where an American dies every five minutes all day long. You have a problem where the economy is very dependent on cocaine production. We need to work productively in our 200-year relationship to see how we can secure a future for both the American people and the Colombian people in a way that complements each other.

And we need to see a way forward that is humane, that protects the environment. Because I flew over with Vice President Marquez and I saw the destruction of illegal mining in the Amazon, illegal crops, and it’s not helpful for Colombians, even because they are looking for a good life, good quality of life. So, it is very important for us when we think about this, to do it in a way that is productive and that is mutually beneficial for security and health.

But would you call the war on drugs a “failed campaign”?

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The way I would put this would be: we didn’t even know a few decades ago that addiction was a brain disease. We didn’t know that it is not a disease of choice but a disease of the brain that affects the whole body. We also didn’t know, we now know, that incarcerating yourself doesn’t get you out of trouble. So what are we doing now? We are trying to work to bring treatment to every prison and jail in the United States.

So, what I would answer is very clear, mistakes have been made in the past, there’s no question about that. However, what we need going forward is to look at how we work with public health, public safety, collectively to solve this for Americans, solve this for other people and countries around the world, and the urgency demands that we do it, and we do it in a hurry.

And how do you frame this strategy on drug producers in Colombia and other countries in the Western Hemisphere? Because here in the United States, of course, there is a framework on the public health issue, but they are also trying to catch the bad actors in this. So how do you find that part of this strategy?

When you look at a single mother in Tumaco, Colombia, who is producing coca for her children as a way of life to survive, it’s not so much about crime as it is about livelihood. So, the way we look at this is that we have to make sure that these farmers have the ability to own their own land. Let’s make sure that they have the ability to grow crops that can be exported globally and that they can make a living. It’s very important that as President [Biden] talks a lot about jobs and the importance of jobs, infrastructure in the United States, it’s the same in a way for every country in the world that we have to figure out how to get people gainfully employed, give hope and the ability to have that economic development as a way to address that. And those are exactly some of the things that we’re going to be working with countries like Colombia.

What about the other countries in the Western Hemisphere? How is cooperation on this drug issue?

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We know that trafficking and smuggling is a hundreds of billions of dollars business. We know that drugs not only kill Americans, but the profits come back to cause destabilization, more crime and corruption and violence [in those countries]. It’s very important to us as a world leader that we continue to work as good partners with other countries in Latin America. And there is a history of us working with them, but we make sure that we are doing it in a way that gives us results, mutual respect and cooperation so that we can put the weight of the law on the bad actors, while ensuring that people everywhere have the opportunity to live in a safe and healthy way.

And finally, what about Venezuela? There is no relationship or cooperation between the two governments, of course, but Venezuela remains a key player in this industry.

Well, we will continue to focus with our partners in Colombia, and also in Ecuador, to make sure that the people there get the support in terms of both the people coming from Venezuela and the resources. That work will continue, but I don’t have anything new to report on that at this point from a policy change perspective.

International

Winter Storm Fern Leaves 30 Dead and Over One Million Without Power Across the U.S.

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In the Great Lakes region, residents awoke to extreme cold, with temperatures dropping below -20°C. Forecasts indicate that conditions are expected to worsen in the coming days as an Arctic air mass moves south, particularly across the northern Great Plains and other central regions, where wind chills could plunge to -45°C, temperatures capable of causing frostbite within minutes.

Across the country, heavy snowfall exceeding 30 centimeters in roughly 20 states triggered widespread power outages. According to PowerOutage.com, nearly 800,000 customers remained without electricity on Monday morning, most of them in the southern United States.

In Tennessee, where ice brought down power lines, approximately 250,000 customers were still without power. Outages also affected more than 150,000 customers in Mississippi and over 100,000 in Louisiana, as utility crews struggled to restore service amid dangerous conditions.

International

Spain approves plan to regularize up to 500,000 migrants in Historic Shift

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Going against the trend in much of Europe, Spain’s left-wing government has now approved an exceptional migrant regularization plan that could benefit up to 500,000 people, most of them from Latin America.

The measure will allow the regularization of around “half a million people” who have been living in Spain for at least five months, arrived before December 31, 2025, and have no criminal record, Migration Minister Elma Saiz explained on public television.

The plan, approved on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, establishes that applications will be processed between April and June 30, enabling beneficiaries to work in any sector and anywhere in the country, Saiz said.

“Today is a historic day for our country. We are strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, and one that is compatible with economic growth and social cohesion,” the minister later stated at a press conference.

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The socialist government of Pedro Sánchez stands out within the European Union for its migration policy, contrasting with the tightening of immigration measures across much of the bloc amid pressure from far-right movements.

Central America

Honduras swears in conservative president Asfura after disputed election

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Asfura’s rise to power, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, marks the end of four years of left-wing rule and secures Trump another regional ally amid the advance of conservative governments in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.

The 67-year-old former mayor and construction businessman was sworn in during an austere ceremony at the National Congress, following a tightly contested election marred by opposition allegations of fraud and Trump’s threat to cut U.S. aid if his preferred candidate did not prevail.

Grateful for Washington’s support, Asfura—who is of Palestinian descent—traveled to the United States to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We need to strengthen relations with our most important trading partner,” Asfura said after being declared the winner of the November 30 election by a narrow margin, following a tense vote count that lasted just over three weeks.