Latinos and the Drug War

During this drug war it isn’t hard to identify the role that latinos/as play in the trafficking world. The article, “Latinas/os and the War on Drugs” takes a look at why Latinos are at the center of the Drug War and how the media helps maintain the stereotypes alive. The media does a great job at keeping the fact that the U.S government has played a large role in the development of the drug industry, by centering their focus on Latinos and how they are responsible for the presence of these drugs in the U.S and the war. They do this, by labeling anyone who transports the drugs, as dangerous and even describe the sentences they face if caught. The groups they target specifically are: immigrants, undocumented workers, non-English speakers, the poor, and those seeking social justice. However, the most recent group added to this list, has been a Latina who lives a “fast life”.

            The section of this article that really caught my attention was the way Latinas are portrayed to be involved in the drug war. I found it interesting how the author made a connection to the fact that since Latinas and other groups of women tend to be the primary care takers of their families, they are sensitive and vulnerable to drug related threats. Latinas have even faced serious charges for not providing information to the authorities on the roles the men in their life play in the drug war. Whether it’s out of fear, or loyalty, if these women do not provide the information being asked for, they usually face worse punishments. I found this to be very shocking because they weren’t doing the labor needed to transport the drugs, however, they were still facing serious time if the authorities suspected dishonesty.

            The time the Latinas face when dealing with trafficking is sometimes worse than an active Latino involved in the drug war. The article stated that once in the criminal justice system, Latinas are often charged with harsh drug crimes, out of White and even African-American women. Also, another thing I found to be mind boggling, were the numbers of Latinas that were currently in jail or Federal prisons. I never thought that the numbers were that high for Latinas and it this really shocked me. The fact that most of these Latinas are in prison for very minor felonies, makes me realize that this is the reason why the stereotypes on Latinas/os still exist. They give serious time to a minor felony, such as not providing the police with information and then the media magnifies these people as “dangerous” and do so by giving them a serious charge.

            The media plays a tremendous role on the reason why Latinos are still viewed as the reason for the drug war. It is so easy for the audience to get carried away by the fear that the media and police instill in American citizens on Latinos/as. However, these people have little or no idea that our own government takes part in this drug war as well. 

-Jackie Vargas