Maritime Smuggling

Mexican cartels turn to maritime smuggling as land border tightens under Trump

November 28, 2025 Iniulat ng AI Larawang ginawa ng AI Fact checked

Mexican cartels, whose migrant-smuggling profits surged under President Joe Biden, are increasingly turning to Pacific Ocean routes as President Donald Trump’s administration tightens enforcement at the southern border. For the past six months, the administration says it has stopped releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S., contributing to a sharp drop in migrant encounters and prompting smugglers to adapt with more sea-based operations along the California coast, according to a Daily Wire report.