Latin American Current issues. America’s greatest structure:

Latin AmericanCurrent issues

America’s greatest structure:

Why build the Panama Canal?

Draw arrows where canals are needed

Reason to build the canal

How they built the canal

PANAMA CANAL

Current Issues in Latin America

1. Drugs2. Illegal Immigration3. Current Trade issues

Drug Products

Mainly three drugs1. Cocaine from Columbia, Peru, Bolivia

Coca is ONLY found in Andes

2. Marijuana from Jamaica3. Heroin from Columbia (from opium poppies)

I. Drug Trade from Latin America

Coca PlantPoppy Plant

Plants used to produce drugs

For OpiumFor Cocaine

Results of Drug Trade

Effects of Cocaine

Effects of Heroin(an opiate)

$51 billion cost to government / year1.5 million arrests / year2 million currently in jail for drug crimes (1/100 of population – most in world)

Drug Smuggling1. 90% of all US cocaine enters via Mexico

was via the Caribbean into Florida

2. United States imports 75 % of their exports – The major drug trafficking organizations

(drug cartels) are Mexican and Colombian– generate $20 to $40 billion

3. “Mules” are used to carry drugs

Bricks of Cocaine

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Where the drugs come from

… and where they go…

How drugs get here

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The Old Way:

The new way: narco-submarineclick

The narco-sub, not submerged…

II. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

1. Smuggling2. Trafficking

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Definitions•Trafficking – a person is trafficked ifshe/he agrees under to relocate for employment reasonsand is forced into involuntary forms ofLabor

•Smuggling – a person is smuggled ifshe/he seeks and to cross borders without documents,but is allegedly free once arriving inthe new country

false pretenses

pays for assistance

Definitions•Trafficking – a person is trafficked ifshe/he agrees under to relocate for employment reasonsand is forced into involuntary forms ofLabor

false pretenses

Definitions

•Smuggling – a person is smuggled ifshe/he seeks and to cross borders without documents,but is allegedly free once arriving inthe new country

pays for assistance

Why do people sneak into the US?

The main reason people CHOOSE to break the law and illegally immigrate is for

and for jobs that Mexico does not have. higher wages

Smuggling

• Smuggling means someone helps the illegal into the US.

• That person is called

• Coyotes charge from $300 to $50,000 per person.

• Often, the price is so high, the illegal will spend years of FORCED LABOR paying off debt.

• Sometimes… forever…

coyotes

Common Sites of Forced Labor

• Agriculture and food processing• Construction• Domestic Workers• • Restaurants• Assembly plants• Garment and textile workers

Sex industry

Estimates of Force LaborExact figures are difficult to calculate because trafficking is illegal and hidden

• women, men and children are victims of forced labor yearly

• 1.4 million are in commercial sex work• 760,000 are economically exploited• 600,000 are in mixed commercially and

sexually exploited

2.4 million

Human Trafficking •Human Trafficking – Modern slavery

•Over persons trafficked a year – U.N. estimate

• dollar a year illegal industry

•Third largest illegal industry in the world (drugs and arms sales)

4 million

7-10 billion

What are we doing about it?• The Justice Department created a unit to

pursue human trafficking cases • The FBI currently has 212 ongoing human

trafficking investigations• The Justice Department has initiated 60

investigations in the past four months.• Last year, federal prosecutors charged 222

defendants and won 98 convictions.

What does this show about the relationship we have with Mexico?

3. Current Trade