UC Press Blog

By Shaylih Muehlmann, author of Call the Mothers: Searching for Mexico’s Disappeared in the War on Drugs

In Mexico today, thousands of families are searching for loved ones who have disappeared amid the violence associated with “the war on drugs.” Although disappearances in Mexico trace back to the Cold War and the repression of guerrilla movements in the 1960s and 1970s, they have expanded in scale and taken on new dimensions in the neoliberal era. Trade agreements like NAFTA, intended 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—those already vulnerable due to poverty and limited political power.

As I conducted research for my new book Call the Mothers, on women searching for their disappeared 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 designed to open up economic opportunities and strengthen North American trade, it also created new channels that could be exploited by organized crime. By facilitating cross-border commerce and reducing trade barriers, NAFTA provided new routes for drug smuggling, allowing criminal organizations to expand their influence and power. As Mexico faced an increase in drug trafficking and criminal activity, the response from both Mexico and the United States leaned heavily toward militarization, with initiatives like the Mérida Initiative funneling resources into Mexico’s security forces to combat this surge.

As we mark the 30th anniversary of NAFTA, it’s important to ask: “What does free trade cost?” For the families of the disappeared in Mexico, the price has been incalculable.

Ironically, this militarized approach has only deepened the violence. Under pressure to secure the flow of trade and protect corporate interests, the militarized strategy quickly shifted from targeting drug cartels to influencing 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—reemerged and took on new dimensions. Today, victims of disappearances are no longer limited to political activists or dissidents. They include a broad spectrum of individuals, from Indigenous people and migrants to professionals and human rights defenders. And the perpetrators include both organized crime and security forces. 

Indigenous and rural communities, in particular, have suffered the impacts of this convergence between violence and free-trade policies, as neoliberal reforms made their lands and resources lucrative targets for exploitation by corporate interests and criminal enterprises alike. Amidst this violence and impunity, the line between state and non-state actors often blurs, as corruption and collusion between authorities and drug-trafficking organizations become pervasive. In this climate, disappearances have become tragically commonplace, with entire communities left vulnerable to both exploitation and violence.

As we mark the 30th anniversary of NAFTA, it’s important to ask: “What does free trade cost?” For the families of the disappeared in Mexico, the price has been incalculable—a legacy of violence, profound grief, and enduring impunity. In Call the Mothers, the stories of those navigating this devastating reality reveal how free trade’s promises have left too many families searching for justice and resolution.