1. Latin American Current issues

2. America’s greatest structure:

3. Why build the Panama Canal?
Draw arrows where canals are needed

4. Reason to build the canal

5. How they built the canal

6. PANAMA CANAL

7. Current Issues in Latin America
Drugs
Illegal Immigration
Current Trade issues

8. Drug Products Mainly three drugs Cocaine from Columbia, Peru, Bolivia
Coca is ONLY found in Andes
Marijuana from Jamaica
Heroin from Columbia (from opium poppies)

9. I. Drug Trade from Latin America
Plants used to produce drugs
Poppy Plant
Coca Plant
For Opium
For Cocaine

10. Results of Drug Trade Effects of Cocaine
$51 billion cost to government / year
1.5 million arrests / year
2 million currently in jail for drug crimes
(1/100 of population – most in world)
Effects of Heroin
(an opiate)

11. Drug Smuggling 90% of all US cocaine enters via Mexico
was via the Caribbean into Florida
United States imports 75 % of their exports
The major drug trafficking organizations
(drug cartels) are Mexican and Colombian
generate $20 to $40 billion
“Mules” are used to carry drugs
click
Bricks of Cocaine

12. Where the drugs come from

13. … and where they go…

14. How drugs get here
click

15. The Old Way:

16. The new way: narco-submarine
click

17. The narco-sub, not submerged…

18. II. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Smuggling
Trafficking
click

19. Definitions false pretenses pays for assistance
Trafficking – a person is trafficked if
she/he agrees under
to relocate for employment reasons
and is forced into involuntary forms of
Labor
Smuggling – a person is smuggled if
she/he seeks and
to cross borders without documents,
but is allegedly free once arriving in
the new country
false pretenses
pays for assistance

20. Definitions false pretenses Trafficking – a person is trafficked if
she/he agrees under
to relocate for employment reasons
and is forced into involuntary forms of
Labor
false pretenses

21. Definitions pays for assistance Smuggling – a person is smuggled if
she/he seeks and
to cross borders without documents,
but is allegedly free once arriving in
the new country
pays for assistance

22. Why do people sneak into the US?
The main reason people CHOOSE to break the law and illegally immigrate is for
and for jobs that Mexico does not have.
higher wages

23. Smuggling
Smuggling means someone helps the illegal into the US.
That person is called
Coyotes charge from $300 to $50,000 per person.
Often, the price is so high, the illegal will spend years of FORCED LABOR paying off debt.
Sometimes… forever…
coyotes

24. Common Sites of Forced Labor
Agriculture and food processing
Construction
Domestic Workers
Restaurants
Assembly plants
Garment and textile workers
Sex industry

25. Estimates of Force Labor
Exact figures are difficult to calculate because
trafficking is illegal and hidden
women, men and children are victims of forced labor yearly
1.4 million are in commercial sex work
760,000 are economically exploited
600,000 are in mixed commercially and sexually exploited
2.4 million

26. Human Trafficking 4 million 7-10 billion
Human Trafficking – Modern slavery
Over persons trafficked a year – U.N. estimate
dollar a year illegal industry
Third largest illegal industry in the world (drugs and arms sales)
4 million
7-10 billion

27. What are we doing about it?
The Justice Department created a unit to pursue human trafficking cases
The FBI currently has 212 ongoing human trafficking investigations
The Justice Department has initiated 60 investigations in the past four months.
Last year, federal prosecutors charged 222 defendants and won 98 convictions.

28. What does this show about the relationship we have with Mexico?

29. 3. Current Trade