| Transnational organized crime is an adaptable, illicit business that transcends cultural, social, linguistic, and geographical boundaries without any rules (United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2014c). The groups that commit these crimes are as diverse in structure as the crimes themselves. The organizational structures of the groups include hierarchies, clans, networks, and cells with many evolving and adapting over time due to changing circumstances (California Department of Justice, 2014, para. 1). This paper examined the impact of transnational organized crime groups on money laundering, human trafficking, and human smuggling on the US-Mexico border and answers three key research questions on the dangers transnational organized crime poses to the US, the socioeconomic factors that encourage transnational crimes in the US, and the capability of U.S. law enforcement to combat transnational organized crime given its level of resources. The major finding was that transnational organized crime poses a significant threat to the social, economic, and national security of the United States. To counter the threat posed by transnational organized crime groups, the United States needs to secure and control its borders and enforce its immigration laws by using physical barriers and virtual fences, unmanned aerial vehicles, and electronic devices for surveillance. Additionally, the US and Mexico need to continue improving collaborations between their law enforcement agencies as well as raising awareness among potential border-crossers of the dangers of human trafficking and smuggling.;Keywords: Economic Crime Management, Dr. Shannon Johnson, TOC, transnational crime, human trafficking, human smuggling. |
