"It's also very important in Latin America. If we can deal with the drug problem there, some of their strife there, it's less likely we have immigration problems here"
About this Quote
The intent is transactional. He’s selling intervention and enforcement as preventive medicine, translating complicated histories of governance, U.S. demand for narcotics, and economic upheaval into a neat bargain: stabilize them, reduce arrivals here. That’s why the line works rhetorically. It reassures a domestic audience that compassion isn’t required; self-interest is enough. Immigration becomes a symptom to be managed rather than a moral or legal debate to be argued.
The subtext is paternalistic and conveniently incomplete. "If we can deal with the drug problem there" nods toward U.S. responsibility (demand, guns, money) while keeping the locus of disorder safely external. It also implies that migrants are primarily fleeing crime and drugs, flattening the mix of motives: family reunification, labor markets, climate shocks, political persecution. Even the pronouns do work: "their strife" versus "immigration problems here" turns people into a domestic burden before they’re even across the border.
Contextually, it’s a politician’s bridge-building line: tough on drugs, attentive to immigration, and vaguely internationalist, without committing to the messy specifics of what "deal with" actually entails.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Weiner, Anthony. (2026, January 15). It's also very important in Latin America. If we can deal with the drug problem there, some of their strife there, it's less likely we have immigration problems here. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-also-very-important-in-latin-america-if-we-144816/
Chicago Style
Weiner, Anthony. "It's also very important in Latin America. If we can deal with the drug problem there, some of their strife there, it's less likely we have immigration problems here." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-also-very-important-in-latin-america-if-we-144816/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"It's also very important in Latin America. If we can deal with the drug problem there, some of their strife there, it's less likely we have immigration problems here." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/its-also-very-important-in-latin-america-if-we-144816/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
