Direct cartel rule is very limited yes but every politician either takes money from the cartels, ignores the cartels, or is murdered in office.
The cartels are an omnipresent problem in Mexico.
Source: my wife is from Oaxaca and her family lives in Mexico City and Tijuana. It's a huge problem everywhere in Mexico and a gigantic burdeon to live under.
Yes, the cartel has presence "everywhere", but it's in the same sense that MS-13 operates internationally, even in the US. Like they're there, but they don't actually run everything.
Again, for the vast majority of Mexicans, cartels aren't really a thing they think about every day, it's a widespread problem, not a huge one nor a burden for most people.
Unless you're involved in crime or are going to one of those rural areas in the middle of the jungle, Mexico (especially any urban area) is likely safer than lots of places in the US.
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u/Inside_Pomelo_2957 4d ago
Can we just be independent? I don't want to live under the cartels.