President Trump swiftly stepped into action during his first week since returning to the White House, declaring that transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) pose an unprecedented national security threat, far surpassing the dangers of traditional drug cartels or old-fashioned organized crime. Then he proceeded to demand cooperation from Mexico, Canada and China to rid the US of the deadly cartels.
TCOs have waged a relentless “campaign of violence and terror” across the Western Hemisphere, destabilizing regions and flooding the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and ruthless gangs.
The crisis also disproportionately affects Black and Latino populations who experience the most overdose deaths.
In 2020, Black males in Washington, D.C., faced the highest recorded mortality rate, with 134 fentanyl overdose deaths per 100,000—9.4 times the rate for White males.
Over the past 25 years, more than 727,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses, marking a tenfold increase in mortality rates from 1999 to 2022.