Response to Cartel Land

1/22/17

The only knowledge I possessed about Mexican Drug Cartel was very limited prior to watching this documentary. In previous Spanish classes I have gathered that this dangerous, illegal business has plagued the Mexican- American border for several years. The cartel has cost thousands of lives in spite of the money which comes from selling and making drugs. In Cartel Land, a film directed by Matthew Heineman, the details of rebellion against the cartel were portrayed on both sides of the border. On the American side, Tim Foley led a small team in his attempt to condemn illegal immigrants from coming over the border, especially those who had drugs since he came from a drug-riddled past. On the Mexican side, Dr. Mireles led a vigilante group called "autodefensas" who wanted to rid their town, Michoacan, of the cartel members who spread corruption throughout their cities.

When I began the documentary I was initially disinterested in it, because I know that the drug cartel problem is going to take a vigorous reform. Two things really stuck out to me when I was watching it; in light of recent events in American politics and the election of President Trump, I think that this film shed some light on why people in the South have such support for Trump's wall proposal and their racist motives. While I disagree with the wall idea, when Tim Foley expressed his drug addiction, how he stopped, and how the recession affected him, I could see where his negativity was rooted from. He talked about how he lost his job overnight, lost his home, and had to sell his things because every time he sought out a job in construction sites, he could not because illegal Mexican immigrants had occupied them. His motive sparked from how unfair he felt it was that he was not able to find a job because of them. When I heard this I felt bad for him, I felt like it was unfair that he could not find a job; but honestly so many people went through that problem and I feel as though he should have kept looking for jobs instead of taking military matters into his own hands and hunting down illegal immigrants. Another thing that really stuck out to me reminded me of our nation was a quote which Dr. Mireles referred to from the constitution, he said "Power comes from the people, if you are not united any idiot can govern you." With the division in our nation today including the movements, the protests, and all the violence post-election, this quote made me wonder when Americans will be united and see the flaws in our own governing. It affected me because although this documentary is about Mexico, it reminded me of our own nation and the division between nations all throughout the world. Another thing I noted was at the end the meth cook who worked for the police said that the drug cartel would never end, the business was flourishing far too much and it would be impossible to end.

I was really surprised when the autodefensas began going against what they were originally for. When Dr. Mireles was injured and Papa Smurf took over, it really surprised me to see how things went south. The autodefensas ended up working with the meth cooks who supplied them with guns and such. It was confusing when Papa Smurf claimed he was apart of three different groups, and they lost their initial purpose for forming the vigilante group. It was not only surprising, but quite disappointing to see how money, power, and recognition easily corrupted the initial peaceful efforts of the autodefensas. A few questions I have regarding this film is why did Dr. Mireles get such sudden backlash from everyone? What was Tim Foley planning on doing with the Mexican scouts who ran the cartel he found? Considering they did not show him formally turning them into police. Why were the meth cooks wearing police shirts, if what they are doing is so wrong? After the film I felt a bit sorry for Dr. Mireles because his efforts went to waste as he was jailed, and felt as if everyone was against him. This documentary evoked feelings of hopelessness in me toward the drug cartel; I believe that the corruption is too immense for it to decline unless heavy, proper protocols are put down. 

Possible subjects I would want to research about the documentary are solutions for the drug problem and how the Mexican and American forces can work together to successfully eradicate the drug cartel. How can the Mexican government become more like the American government in the way they treat the poor population? I would want to research other vigilante groups in other regions to understand the autodefensas motives a bit better. How can American's like Tim Foley convince the American government to follow the regimes he has  placed to prevent illegals from coming in? The concepts and questions leave me interested to do more research about this topic and discover more about the Mexican drug cartel problem.