Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, says that a lack of "love," "brotherhood," and "hugs" are the cause of the United States' fentanyl crisis. López Obrador explained his theory during a morning news briefing, earlier this week.
“There is a lot of disintegration of families, there is a lot of individualism, there is a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces,” López Obrador said on Friday. “That is why they (U.S. officials) should be dedicating funds to address the causes.” He has previously praised Mexico’s family values for keeping down its fentanyl overdoses.
Andrés Manuel López Obrador At A Briefing In 2020
A few days prior, López Obrador argued that his country is safer than the United States. The comments came after the high-profile kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico at the border city of Matamoros. “Mexico is safer than the United States. There is no issue with traveling safely through Mexico,” López Obrador told reporters at another one of his daily press briefings, according to CNN. “That’s something the U.S. citizens also know, just like our fellow Mexicans that live in the US.”
López Obrador cited the high number of Americans traveling to the country as well as those moving to Mexico City. He further claims there is “a campaign against Mexico from conservative U.S. politicians that don’t want this country to keep developing for the good of the Mexican people.” He added: “U.S. government alerts say that it’s safe to only travel [in the states of] Campeche and Yucatan. If that were the case, so many Americans wouldn’t be coming in to live in Mexico City and the rest of the country. In the past few years is when more Americans have come to live in Mexico. So, what’s happening? Why the paranoia?”
In response to the recent troubles, several politicians in the United States have called to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. They argue it will allow the U.S. military to handle the groups.
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