How To Fix a Broken Border: Follow the Money

For Immediate Release

May 18, 2012

Washington D.C. - Today, the Immigration Policy Center releases How To Fix a Broken Border: Follow the Money by Terry Goddard, part three of a three-part series on the Southwest Border. In this series, former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard assesses current threats to our border security and calls for a coordinated, multi-dimensional, bi-national approach to cracking down on cartels. Goddard's suggestions for Federal action include targeting cartel money, closing money-laundering loopholes, pursuing cartel leaders, and focusing border security on ports of entry.

Using his experience fighting cartels in Arizona as an example, Goddard argues that “the next step must be national. Using the same leads Arizona derived from wire-transfer data, federal authorities are in an ideal position to coordinate among the states and with Mexican law enforcement to close down the criminal exploitation of the wire-transfer system.” But despite awareness about the money-laundering loopholes, Goddard says the government has not addressed the problem as they should. “Huge amounts of funds flowing illegally out of this country could be stopped," he said, "if financial institutions and government agencies focused on the problem.”

To view the paper in its entirety see:
How To Fix a Broken Border: Follow the Money by Terry Goddard (IPC Perspectives, May 2012)

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For more information contact Wendy Sefsaf at wsefsaf@immcouncil.org or 202-507-7524