During the first months of Donald Trump’s presidency, there was a 56% decrease in ammunition seizures at the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 190,881 rounds of ammunition were seized in fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025), representing only 44% of the 428,931 rounds confiscated in 2024, the last fiscal year of Joe Biden’s administration.
Mexico views this ammunition as a direct contributor to violence within its borders. In fact, 75% of the 19,974 homicides recorded in 2025 were committed with firearms.
An investigation by The New York Times reveals that Mexican cartels are using ammunition designed for the U.S. military.
“In Mexico, where cartels have vast sums of money and a seemingly insatiable appetite for .50 caliber firearms, these weapons are in high demand. Cartel members armed with .50 caliber firearms have shot down helicopters, assassinated government officials, fired on police and military forces, and massacred civilians,” the investigation reveals.
The government of President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly requested that the United States take stricter measures against the trafficking of illegal weapons into Mexico. This Monday, Mexican authorities announced that they will review the entry of ammunition specifically manufactured for the U.S. military.
Source: politica.expansion
