The Impact of Drug Trafficking on American Indian Reservations with International Boundaries

This article has four main objectives. The first is to document the crisis of violence and injury occurring on American Indian reservations as a result of drug and human trafficking across international borders. The second objective is to highlight challenges that obscure attempts to address this problem. Third, a review of current initiatives to resolve these challenges is provided. Finally, this article discusses potential solutions to these challenges via political reform, resource allocation, and other tactics addressing increased drug-trafficking activity. To achieve these objectives, two federally recognized American Indian tribes were selected to conduct an in-depth examination of the problem: the Saint Regis Mohawk and Tohono O'odham Nations. These tribes were chosen due to their close proximity to the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders, as well as their strong cultural affinity with relatives living immediately adjacent to the border. The Saint Regis Mohawk Nation shares approximately twenty miles of land with the Canadian border, while the Tohono O'odham Nation shares approximately seventy-five miles with the Mexican border.