Mexican Border Violence

Drug-related border issues between the United States and Mexico have long been documented. There has been a recent uptick in violence across the border in Mexico in recent months, and it's increasing concerns that the violence could spill into the US. The Congressional Research Service recently looked into the issue, issuing a report that can be found here (PDF).

In an examination of data that could provide insight into whether there has been a significant spillover in drug trafficking-related violence from Mexico into the United States, CRS analyzed violent crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report program. The data, however, do not allow analysts to determine what proportion of the violent crime rate is related to drug trafficking or, even more specifically, what proportion of drug trafficking-related violent crimes can be attributed to spillover violence. In conclusion, because the trends in the overall violent crime rate may not be indicative of trends in drug trafficking-related violent crimes, CRS is unable to draw definitive claims about trends in drug trafficking-related violence spilling over from Mexico into the United States.