According to a recent newspaper article, the U.S. border crossings at the Southwest, especially in San Diego, California asylum seekers due to the drug war in Mexico has seen a recent increase. The U.S. authorities are not releasing any data but many suspect that majority of the asylum seekers are from the drug infested Tierra Caliente region of Mexico. The area has been dominated by a vicious and powerful drug cartel. The Associated Press reported 44 women and children who are from the region and seeking asylum have been admitted to the U.S. from August 26 to September 26, 2013.
Drug related violence in Mexico started to spike since 2008. Some estimates that more than 264,900 have been migrated to the U.S. in many forms since the escalation of violence. At a recent hearing by the U.S. Senate subcommittee, members from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) testified to the implications to the U.S. from the Mexican drug war. They have identified the Southwest border as the heaviest entry point for illicit drug into the U.S. due to the heavy volume of border crossings and the length of the border but they fighting on both sides of the border.
