anchoring across cnn platforms you're going to see no more of me for a bit. but i'm omar jimenez. we'll see you again next week on may 13, 18, 46 the united states declared war on mexico president james polk, claimed that america had been attacked but in reality the invasion was a brazen land and grab american troops made it all the way to mexico city and the u.s. >> next to much of today's western united states the future founder of the republican party and illinois congressman named abraham lincoln passionately opposed the war but today's republicans have mexico in their sights. once again back when he was president donald trump as defense secretary, market esport if he could launch missiles at mexico's drug cartels without mexico's permission and then blame the attack on another country we. could do it quietly. trump said, no one would know it was us esper told him the idea was ridiculous an act of war against one of america's biggest trading partners but trump would not back down. and an oval office fantasy i will deploy all necessary military assets. became a 2024 campaign pledge. >> justified if military force to decimate the cartel each held a mexican present. either you do what are we doing and soon it was a popular republican policy over 20 republican congressman have signed on to a vast war power authorization on my orders like the measures for iraq and have gotten a star trump has ordered his advisers to draw adult plants calling for missile strikes a naval blockade and boots on the ground how did america and mexico come to this welcome to a special our on mexico i'm fareed zakaria from the border to the economy, to the cartels. >> america and mexico have a relationship that has been crucial and complicated america blames mexico for its deadly drug prices. while american demand helps keep the cartels in business, millions pore over the southern border. >> but without mexico's help, there would likely be millions and millions more in a myriad of ways. >> this pivotal relationship and how america chooses to shape it, holds the keys to both country's future is now driving the drug overdose crisis across the country it is the most lethal two drug epidemic in american history the fentanyl crisis synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl killed an estimated 75,000 americans in 2023 alone more than all of the us troops skill in iraq afghanistan and vietnam combined deaths went up 94% in a three-year period and no one brings more fentanyl into the united states then the sinaloa drug cartel in mexico it was headed for years famously by what game guzman that are known by his nickname el chapo no one put more drugs on the street in american history. >> than him the dea says guzman was responsible for 25% of all the narcotics flowing into the us oh, chapo built a sophisticated billion dollar multinational empire that rival fortune 500 companies he was apprehended a few times and, got away a couple of times but now is in the us criminal system and doesn't look to get out anytime soon el chocolate bequeath his vast empire to four of his sons. the sinaloa cartel. one, least heavily armed fighting force known as the little chao pose all los chapitos ivan alfredo or we view and who i can and it was l choppers sons who made a breast shimmed early bet on a promising new product i would become america's biggest suppliers. i'll fenton they were able to see that producing fentanyl will be the new very important the synthetic drug in the market americans had been hooked on prescription opioids like oxycontin in the 90s doctors are prescribing more and more percocet vicodin, oxycodone, and we can't seem to stop taking it but then the government crackdown on big pharma in the 2000s the crackdown left a massive void in the opioid market and los chapitos race to fill it first with heroin then with fentanyl the profits from their new product were off the charts. the bosses of the sinaloa cartel are able to get just bought themselves 400 million per month, just profits in the pocket just five pounds of fentanyl could be sold for ten times as much money as 7,000 pounds of methamphetamine what's more fentanyl was easier to make than of the drugs in small labs, in kitchens and basements instead of massive operations out in the jungle. >> as with cocaine i'm benny cheap need that infrastructure by 2017, fentanyl was causing more overdoses than any other drug in america meanwhile, in mexico a new president, andres manuel lopez obrador was, embracing a new approach to the drug war he's even computerized the same, brussels nor balances hugs, not bullets. >> after years of mexico's military fighting, the cartels mexico's people had paid a horrifying price tens of thousands were dead from drug-related violence i'm low, wanted to reduce that violence and boost the job market he dismantled much of mexico's years security collaboration with america this is what it sounds like drug cartel powers, the state but when mexican forces tried to capture one of los chapitos gunning law enforcement doesn't even look like it was close to being fair fight. >> there were no man for the cartels arm mexican military captured them and then they got away let's chop pete. those are powerful and strong, but not by themselves. they have the complexity of many parts of the mexican government and the little choppers lethal product kept on coming by 2021 american overdose deaths, mostly from fentanyl we're over seven times higher than in 2015 with all of the carnage from the fentanyl epidemic bombing, the cartels without mexico's permission. maybe attempting election. you're talking point. but experts on the drug trade agree that this would only be a fool's errand and make things even worse for both mexico and america the challenge with the idea of bombing cartels is what are you going to bomb fentanyl labs are so small and so plentiful the trying to bomb them would be like bombing every convenience store in new york city you'll have to kill all the civilians that live in color the united states would be at war with its biggest trading partner and migration already setting records would spike even more he's really close that you are thinking that let's up to the cartels if america really wants to hit the cartels where it hurts pitcher dackel, its own insatiable demand for their product roughly 80% of the world's opioids are consumed in the united states of america you really want to fight against the cartels, destroy the market but rather than attacking the demand problem america has relied on brute force to fight drug cartels the dea says it has trained 551 mexican police officers in a decades-long losing game. of whack-a-mole 70% of all the cocaine sees in the united states came from here. >> in the 1980s, miami was america's capital of cocaine the largest boston united states history, $1 billion worth of cocaine the de a launched operation swordfish indicting dozens in the drug trade but the cocaine kept on coming operation, just call expand out in the air and on the ground in 1989 goals of the united states had bint to combat drug i'm trafficking. president george hw bush invaded panama out. >> i got it. i got to take out its leader drug trafficker manuel noriega. >> i think it's a major victory against the whereas lowers but american demand was still going through the roof in the late 19. we are proud to stand with our friend and our neighbor president bill clinton launched plan colombia this is a war and the enemy is cocaine sending billions to that country's military to target its cocaine operations drug production gets slowed down and came back even bigger and the production decline in colombia lead to mexico's cartels filling the vacuum we've seen this over and over again. if you destroy one laboratory, you destroy one field, you destroy one network, others will come and replace that there's another way that america actually helps mexico's cartels besides its appetite for their product 70 to 90% of all the guns strapped thank in mexico come from the united states it is a case of the mexican government has long claimed against the united states if you want us to stop sinning drugs where you need to stop sending the guns that fuel the violence here coming up the southern border and how the us has relied hi, iran, mexico to be its border enforcement i'm getting vaccinated and pfizer as pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine i'm at risk for pneumococcal pneumonia already gotten pneumonia vaccine. but i'm asking about the added protection of krever, not 20 if you're 19 or older with certain chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, copd, or heart disease, or are 65 or older, you are at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia, prevnar 20 is approved in adults to help prevent infections from 20 strains of the bacteria that as pneumococcal pneumonia in just one dose don't get prevnar 20 if you've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients, adults with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine the most common side effects for pain and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, and joint pain. >> i want to be able to keep my plans. >> i don't want to risk ending up in the hospital with pneumococcal pneumonia. >> that's why i chose have now your doctor or pharmacist about the pfizer vaccine for pneumococcal pneumonia. >> what the biggest companies, the liver is an exceptional customer experience. what makes it possible is unmatched connectivity and biji solution from t-mobile for business the t-mobile connects 100,000 delta airlines employees, powers tractor supplies, stores nationwide with reliable by chief business internet, and partners with pga of america on game game-changing innovation. this is how business goals further with t-mobile for business a breaking point at the us-mexico border year after year records of the border are shattered pager surge of border crossing over 2.4 a million migrants were apprehended last year, an all time high numbers have been staggering breaking the record set just one year earlier which stop the record set the year before that he erect the point of people have been coming everywhere from haiti to venezuela, from all over the world india, vietnam afghanistan. but one country that's actually not driving the surge is mexico at the start of the century, mexicans made up 98% of the migrants at the southern border last year, only 29% hello, from mexico what's more? the number of mexicans coming to america has sometimes been fewer than the number of mexicans leaving the the us to go back to mexico in recent years that's due in part to the country's economy, which has been doing pretty well people want to stay home. >> and the more working opportunities there are in mexico the more people will tend to stay home or even return mexico has even become a destination for many migrants. >> the fifth most popular country for asylum seekers in the world in 2022. >> instead of being big border crosses, the mexicans have become america's go-to border in forces. sadly, one element of an american response is always going to be to outsource as much of the enforcement question as it can to the mexican government, mexico is actually in very much the same bind with migration as america. >> mexico has a very similar problem, overwhelmed with people who are applying for asylum. police forces are overwhelmed. the shelters are totally overwhelmed and as mexico's government's struggles to keep up, the journey has become even more perilous for the migrants will makes it so dangerous is the fact that there are threats really on all sides on the one side, violent drug cartels who have found a cruel new way to make money. >> you will see organized crime moving increasingly into the trafficking of migrants smuggling business has become even more lucrative than dealing fentanyl for migrants. it can be just as deadly when cartels can't extort migrants for money, they often just kill the people if kidnapped another danger often and mexican authorities sometimes corrupt sometimes inept sometimes lethal in march 2023, a fire broke out at a migrant detention center migrants were left blocked in the cells killing dozens looming over all of this mess is the united states. there's no question that the us is certainly complicit in some of the things that are happening in mexico. if not outright responsible. >> the fact is america has relied on mexico to do its dirty work for years, deterring, detaining, and deporting migrants before they get to america's southern border. and it's a strategy that's been relied upon by both republicans and democrats july 2014, america was witnessing an unprecedented crisis big came without their parents a wave of migrant children coming from central america, seemingly overnight, tens of thousands of children and families showed up at the southern border. the us government was caught completely flat foot president obama, bush, mexico to focus on the southern border mexico's southern border. 1,000 miles away. us dollar helped transform mexico's border with guatemala a network of military bases observation towers, canine teams, and mobile checkpoints sprung up on the hunt for migrants part because of strong efforts by mexico we've seen those numbers reduced back to much more manageable levels. the next year mexico deported more central americans than the united states. for the first time in history. and so by the end of the obama administration, you weren't seeing the same kind of drama at the southern border that you saw in 2014, people kind of wrote it off as problem-solve but obama strategy didn't work for long president trump arrived with bold rhetoric when not letting these people invade our country but when his draconian policies failed, a growing outrage over families being separated at the border and the construction of his border wall dragged trump focused on turning mexico into his wall many believed that would be a challenge mexico's new leader andres manuel lopez obrador had campaigned on ending his country's migrant crackdown. >> this idea that we're not going to do america's dirty work what is a fresh wave of migrants headed for the us. >> we won we want mexico stop. >> trump threatened to bury mexico's economy under an avalanche of tariffs i'm low, changed his june on migration once he came into office, he doubled down and moody and further than the previous government he expanded trump's remain in mexico policy forced to wait in some of the most dangerous cities on earth, trapping more migrants in mexico and he turned his newly formed national guard meant for taking on drug violence into a border patrol thousands of troops fanned out across mexico. >> and there were scenes, really grizzly scenes, all through mexico of these national guardsman really cracking down and responding with force migrants would tear gas and thrown into prison like detention centers. some was shot and killed the mexican government has defended the national guard, saying good respects human rights mexico is doing more for the united states as of now. >> then congress president biden took office promising to dramatically change the nation's approach to migration. it's time for our better angels to prevail but the us continued to rely on mexico to do its dirty work cooperation on migration continued and even expanded with the biden administration the results under biden more of the same. let's get real in the same way that water runs downhill. >> human beings go where there's a better deal and that better deal, more economic opportunity and a better life continues to be found in the united states the truth is mexico can't solve america's border crisis it's really up to america all of the obvious solutions to reduce pressure at the southern border run through congress and congress is a kind of deadzone on this issue. >> lawmakers block of water, neal until we run right into a wall and in a surprising twist, that political paralysis has given mexico leverage over washington with america, depending on mexico to control the border amlo use that leverage this strengthened his hand at home inching mexico towards autocracy without a peep from the us coming up next disturbing rise of an illiberal democracy next door the most anticipated moment of this lecture. >> and mistakes couldn't be higher. the president and the former president, one day to moderated by jake tapper and dana bash, the cnn presidential debate thursday night at nine live on cnn and streaming on max cities, industry-leading global payment solutions help their clients move money around the world seamlessly in over 180 countries. >> and help a partner like the world food programme as they provide more than food to people in need together, city in the world, food programme and power failure across the globe you know what's brilliant thing about it boring is the unsung catalyst for bold. >> what straps gold to a rocket, hurdles and into space boring makes vacations happen, early retirements possible, and startups start off because it's smart, dependable, and steady all words you want from your bank for nearly 160 years, pnc bank has been brilliantly boring. so you can be happily fulfill which is pretty unvarying if you think about it might are meant to her appointment. >> i don't want to wait or have surgery for my do patreons contraction. i want a non-surgical treatment and if not non-surgical treatment is an opera i'll give a second opinion. >> take charge of your treatment if you can't lay your hand flat, visit, find a hand specialist.com to get started unnecessary no. neither is missing your daughter's competition to do payroll with pay con employees do their own payroll. so you don't have to miss your daughter's big day i'm just shy get pay calm, and make the unnecessary unnecessary. why is it so hard to find a good pro to work on your house? >> what i look forward to someone who is reliable is true to their word and skillful. >> that's where angie comes in with angie find top rated certain if i'd prose in your area plus compare quotes and pricing to help you get all your jobs done well, the price was right, everything was done the same day with top rated certified pros and over 500 categories. angie can connect you with a right pro for any home project, find top rated certified prose in your area at angie.com circle it circle circle find anything if i'm let me circle there when. i. do my friends, i can circle it applied anything if i see something that you like to draw around that i. see. some apartments.com. let's any landlord find qualified renders and signed leases and collect payments from any place even here and where's here? he sled de rent ada a slow network is no network for business. that's why more choose comcast business. and now, we're introducing ultimate speed for business —our fastest plans yet. we're up to 12 times faster than verizon, at&t, and t-mobile. and existing customers could even get up to triple the speeds... at no additional cost. it's ultimate speed for ultimate business. don't miss out on our fastest speed plans yet! switch to comcast business and get started for $49.99 a month. plus, ask how to get up to an $800 prepaid card. call today! diploma.org to find free adult education centers near you. >> violent earth, would you be have schreiber tonight, did nine on cnn closed captioning is brought to you by you, cora, help maintain a healthy urinary tract with you, cora, having utis for ten years. >> you cora, we make uti relief products. >> we also make proactive urinary tract help prop you. >> korea is a life stage write today at your core core.com mass protests against the alleged election fraud demands for a recount a politician insisting he won the presidency weeks after officials call the election for his opponent. this was a landslide a familiar story for american voters and as it. >> turns