This week, InSight Crime interviewed sheriffs Mark Dannels and David Hathaway from two Arizona border counties, each with contrasting perspectives on irregular migration and border security. Dannels conducts active searches for migrants in the mountains, aiming to counter what he perceives as a significant security threat, while Hathaway prioritizes curbing the influx of synthetic drugs like fentanyl. Together, they embody a broader societal debate, highlighting concerns among Americans who re-elected Donald Trump in the recent presidential election.

Additionally, we cover the US Treasury Department’s sanctions on members of the Mexican criminal group the Línea for fentanyl trafficking; delve into questions surrounding the record seizure of 21 tons of cocaine in Bolivia; assess the risks posed by judicial reform in Mexico, and explore why Costa Rica is unlikely to descend into a cycle of violence and crime similar to Ecuador’s.

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Two US-Mexico Border Sheriffs, Two Visions on Immigration and Security

It was well after dark in southeastern Arizona, and the temperature had dipped close to freezing. Outside the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office in Bisbee, Sheriff Mark Dannels and one of his sergeants discussed reports of a large group of migrants traversing a steep mountain pass and moving through the county.

Dannels, who was born in Iowa, sports a beige suede cowboy hat befitting of his role. To blunt the chill, he wore a heavy jacket with the Cochise County Sheriff’s insignia on his arm. Chasing undocumented migrants is not his job, but he has made it so, and on this night, it had become personal: The projected trajectory of these particular migrants was his neighborhood.

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InSight Crime investigators Lara Loaiza and María Fernanda Ramírez took part in the second meeting of ATHENA, the Network of Women in Security and Defense, held in Colombia and organized by the Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS).

They shared insights from their work on investigating organized crime through a gender lens. InSight Crime is dedicated to examining the complex interplay between gender dynamics and organized crime across Latin America.

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This Week's Criminal Profile: The Choneros

This week, Ecuador’s Interior Minister Mónica Palencia and Police Commander Víctor Zárate identified "Fito”, the leader of the Choneros and a fugitive since early January, as “the country’s top target.”

The Choneros are among Ecuador's most prominent criminal organizations. Initially a small logistical and armed outfit supporting drug trafficking groups, they have since grown into a powerful prison gang and a key player in drug trafficking networks nationwide. However, conflicts with former allies have weakened their operational capacity in recent years.

Trending Topic: Back to the Future: Donald Trump and Latin America

On November 5, Donald Trump won the US presidential election, signaling an inevitable shift in regional relations. His campaign’s focus on the alleged presence of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, alongside promises to take direct action in Mexico against fentanyl-trafficking cartels, foreshadows significant changes and potential challenges for US-Latin America relations.

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