New battlegrounds ( Part – II )

Along with China’s strong economic and strategic presence in Latin America, the US is also facing some other issues from the countries of the Americas region. The problem of mass illegal immigration, drug trafficking and the repeated rise of socialist movements and leaders in different countries are issues the US is bothered by.

On the very first day of his presidency, President Trump signed almost a hundred executive orders, including declaring an emergency on the southern border and mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Raids were conducted in different states to capture and expulsion of illegal immigrants. A clash erupted between the US and Colombia when President Gustavo Petro decided to reject two Colombia-bound US military aircraft carrying migrants. President Trump promptly retaliated with visa restrictions and 25 per cent tariffs on all Colombian incoming goods, which would be raised to 50 per cent in one week.

The American policy of mass deportation of illegal immigrants is not new; Colombia accepted 475 deportation flights from the US during the Biden administration’s four years, fifth behind Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador. The Biden administration deported 270,000 illegal immigrants in the year 2024. However, Trump is aggressive and noisy about this issue. According to various surveys, the total number of illegal immigrants in the US is 11.7 million.

On average, almost 100,000 deaths are recorded per year in the US because of overdoses of drugs. The primary pathway for Fentanyl, methamphetamine, Cocaine, heroin, Marijuana, and other drugs into the US is through Mexico and Central America. Major drug trafficking organisations are Mexican and Colombian, generating $20 billion to $40 billion per year. The cultivation of coca plants, the primary source of these drugs, is concentrated in South American countries Honduras, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

The rise of Gustavo Petro as the president of Colombia has exponentially raised the sensitivity of this issue. President Petro began a conversation on the legalisation of drugs in Colombia – most recently marijuana and cocaine decriminalization – while calling for a regional conference to discuss an even broader revamp of drug policy in the Americas. President Petro is not the first person in the region to advocate for such a policy. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez has also suggested such legislation in 2019.

China has been the leading player in sourcing the primary materials for the creation of fentanyl and its manufacturing. Though China has imposed regulations on fentanyl-related substances, the US Department of State identified 160,000 chemical companies operating in China, some legally and some illegally. It is, therefore, one of the most critical issues the US faces, and the Trump administration intends to address it urgently and forcefully.

Last but not least pressing issue for the Trump administration dealing with the Western hemisphere is ‘socialism’. In June 2024, officials of the US State Department and USAID working in the Western Hemisphere were invited for their testimonies before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere on the issue of ‘The Curse of Socialism in Central America and the Caribbean’.

Greg Howell, senior deputy assistant administrator of USAID for Latin America and the Caribbean, concluded his testimony before the committee by saying, “At a time of global power competition in the hemisphere and alarming examples of leaders in the region betraying democratic principles, it is in the interest of the United States to foster effective partnerships that work toward a more peaceful, democratic, prosperous, and stable hemisphere.”

Chairwoman of the subcommittee, a Republican congresswoman from Florida, Maria Elvira Salazar, criticised the Biden administration, blaming them for demonstrating an “exceptional lack of leadership” in dealing with the socialist governments of Cuba, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Latin Americans are quoted as examples to understand the rise of Pink Tide and 21st century socialism. Cuba, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Guatemala, and Brazil have gone through guerilla warfare.

The current Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, has also been a member of guerilla groups since his youth. So Castro of Cuba, Chavez of Venezuela, Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, Gustavo Petro of Colombia, and other leftist leaders of the Western hemisphere have been a problem for DC. Therefore, it is one of the key issues for Trump’s presidency.

The fundamental question is: what does Washington have to offer these nations to choose America over China? Deporting their citizens, imposing tariffs, and using force in any kind of refusal or resistance against the ‘national interests’ of a mighty neighbour. One thing is obvious: when protecting national interests, especially in the ‘sphere of influence’ empires have the same recipe – ‘use of force’.

Concluded

The writer is a journalist and researcher based in Washington, DC. He can be reached at: fayaznaich@gmail.com