Photo by Nathaniel St. Clair
Today, thousands of families in Mexico are searching for loved ones who have disappeared amid the violence linked to “the war on drugs.” Although the disappearances in Mexico can be traced back to the Cold War and the suppression of guerrilla movements in the 1960s and 1970s, they have increased in scale and taken on new dimensions in the neoliberal era.. Trade agreements like NAFTA, intended to promote economic growth, have inadvertently fueled drug trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border, contributing to a crisis of violence that disproportionately impacts marginalized communities — who are already vulnerable due to poverty and limited access to political power.
While I was doing research for my new book Call the moms, about women searching for their missing relatives in Mexico, I was struck by how deeply intertwined free trade policies and the crisis of disappearances have become. Trade agreements like NAFTA and its successor, USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement), created conditions that allowed criminal organizations to thrive – and ordinary people have paid the price.
While NAFTA was intended to create economic opportunity and strengthen North American trade, it also created new channels for organized crime to exploit. By facilitating cross-border trade and reducing trade barriers, NAFTA created new routes for drug trafficking, allowing criminal organizations to increase their influence and power. When Mexico faced an increase in drug trafficking and criminal activity, the response from both Mexico and the United States relied heavily on militarization, with initiatives such as the Mérida Initiative. 
channeling resources to Mexican security forces to combat this wave.
Ironically, this militarized approach has only exacerbated the violence. Under pressure to secure the flow of trade and protect corporate interests, the militarized strategy quickly shifted from targeting drug cartels to impacting many aspects of life in Mexico, especially for the most vulnerable communities. Disappearances – a practice with a long history in Latin America during times of political repression – resurfaced and took on new dimensions. Today, the victims of disappearances are no longer limited to political activists or dissidents. They include a broad spectrum of individuals, from indigenous peoples and migrants to professionals and human rights defenders. And perpetrators include both organized crime and security forces.
Indigenous and rural communities in particular have suffered the consequences of this convergence between violence and free trade policies, as neoliberal reforms made their lands and resources lucrative targets for exploitation by both corporate interests and criminal enterprises. Amid this violence and impunity, the line between state and non-state actors often becomes blurred, as corruption and collusion between authorities and drug trafficking organizations become pervasive. In this climate, disappearances have become tragically commonplace, leaving entire communities vulnerable to both exploitation and violence.
As we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of NAFTA, it is important to ask the question, “What does free trade cost?” For the families of the disappeared in Mexico, the price is incalculable: a legacy of violence, deep sorrow and lasting impunity. In Call the momsthe stories of those navigating this devastating reality reveal how the promises of free trade have left too many families searching for justice and resolution.
This post was originally published on the Blog from the University of California Press and is reprinted here with permission.
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