Maryknoll OGC Signs Open Letter to President Trump Urging Action on U.S. Gun Smuggling to Mexico

Read this statement as a PDF.

Cc: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem

Dear President Trump, 

We are a broad coalition of individuals, organizations, and dignitaries living in the United States and Mexico, united in our concern for U.S. guns fueling violence in Mexico. 

On February 3, 2025, President Claudia Sheinbaum posted on social media that in your agreement on a month-long pause on reciprocal tariffs, the U.S. made a commitment to, “avoid the trafficking of high-powered weapons from the United States into Mexico.”  Our nations are each other’s largest trading partners, therefore, it is imperative that we create binational solutions to avoid a trade war and create policies that respect the dignity and experiences of the people of both of our nations.

As we approach the end of the month-long pause, it is imperative that all factors fueling migration, including the flow of weapons across our border into Mexico, must be addressed. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reports that 70% of firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico and submitted for tracing come from the United States. U.S. sourced firearms and gun manufacturers are empowering cartels to devastate communities, fuel the narcotics trade, and intimidate local authorities, forcing migration from Mexico to the United States. 

Most trafficked firearms to Mexico are legally purchased at retail gun shops or gun shows in Texas, Arizona, and California. Nearly all of these weapons are purchased by U.S. citizens — not immigrants— as required under law, and are then easily trafficked over the border into Mexico, falling into the hands of the cartels. Extensive evidence confirms this pattern. For example, a gun purchased in Texas is more likely to be used in a homicide in Mexico than in Texas itself.

Secretary Marco Rubio recently visited nations in South and Central America with the goal to, “stop illegal and large-scale migration, fight the scourge of transnational criminal organizations and drug traffickers, and deepen economic partnerships to enhance prosperity in our hemisphere.”Firearm trafficking from the U.S. extends beyond Mexico, fueling violence into the Caribbean and Central America. Gangs in Haiti dominate and terrorize broad swaths of territory with weapons trafficked from the U.S., mainly from Florida and Georgia. Achieving the Secretary’s goals for the region must include efforts to curb the flow of these weapons into these nations.

You have designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, therefore it is in the U.S.’s national security interest to cut off their access to the weapons that enable terror and destabilize entire regions. Firearms enable drug trafficking, have been used to forcibly disappear over 100,000 people in Mexico, and displace people from their homes to seek safety. The U.S.-sourced guns are driving violence to the point that, for many people, leaving their homes is a matter of life or death. 

As you continue tariff negotiations with Mexico, we urge you to take the following actions: 

• Issue an executive order to take assault rifles, .50 caliber rifles, and high-capacity magazines, used by the cartels in thousands of crimes, off the U.S. retail market. In the absence of an executive order, support legislative proposals with the same effect – including the Stop Arming Cartels Act, that bans the commercial sale of .50 caliber rifles in the U.S., which only the cartels have an interest in buying.

○ Texas and Arizona laws allow private individuals to purchase .50 caliber sniper rifles and assault weapons without a criminal background check. This enormous market is perfect for fentanyl traffickers and violent groups. In June 2020, gunmen used a .50 caliber rifle in an assassination attempt on Mexico City’s police chief that killed three people.

• Instruct the Justice Department to order the inspection of every gun dealer that has been implicated in sales of firearms trafficked to Mexico, to ensure they are not facilitating trafficking to the cartels.
• Use your executive authority in the National Firearms Act of 1968 to stop the importation into the U.S. of assault rifles, many of which are trafficked to Mexico.
• Support legislation to require background checks for all sales of firearms, including online, by mail order, and at gun shows. This is especially important in the states with the highest levels of gun trafficking to Mexico. 

We will continue to engage our elected officials both in the United States and Mexico on these critical issues. 

See the full list of signatories

Mira: Feminisms and Democracies	Laura Carlsen	Director
Ipad Owner	Patricia Layden	Individual
Victoria Julita Spiers, CA Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist	Victoria Julita Spiers	CA Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, USA-JPIC	Sr. Rose Therese Nolta	Justice and Peace Coordinator
Opal Group	Francisco de Tavira	Investor Relations Associate
codepink	Medea Benjamin	Cofounder
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team	Angela Howard-McParland	Justice Resource Manager
Nuns Against Gun Violence	Angela Howard-McParland	Co-Founder & Steering Committee
Lives Robbed	Kimberly Rubio	President
FOR Peace Presence	Michaela Söllinger	Regional Coordinator
The Guild of Secrecy	Cory Pinckard	His Royal Majesty
4Women.com	Susan Lea	Attorney
Canadian Resistance Front	Rick Moffat	Power sharing director
Elizabeth Zumchak	Elizabeth Zumchak	Individual
Jacobson Arts	Joyce Jacobson	Coordinator
Festival internacional Esaú	José Ugalde Mejia	Presidente
Kino Border Initiative	Pedro De Velasco	Director of Education and Advocacy
None	Alfred G Jonas	Business owner
Students Engaged in Advancing Texas	Ayaan Moledina	Federal Policy Director
Fox Valley Citizens for Peace & Justice (Illinois)	Mary Shesgreen	Chair

David Ivester	David Ivester	Publisher
Barbara Sack	Barbara Sack	Barbara Sack
Judy bierbaum	Judy bierbaum	Concerned citizen
Citizen of the United States	Barbara Hoch	Citizen
Ms. Cornelia Teed	Cornelia Teed	N/A
G D Abbott	G D Abbott	Self
Paul Riek	Paul Riek	Individual
Kathy Bradley	Kathy Bradley	citizen
Kathy Bradley	Kathy Bradley	citzen
Debra Atlas	Debra Atlas	self
Ms. Gaylene Sloane	Ms. Gaylene Sloane	Self
Ms Joann M Koch	Joann M Koch	Ms Joann M Koch
Year	Kevin	Dr.
Derechos de la Infancia y la Adolescencia	Raquel Pastor Escobar	Directora
Celeste Hong	Celeste Hong	Celeste Hong
Dulce Gomez	Dulce Maria Gomez Andrade	Director
Conejo Valley Worship Group	Percy Hicks-Severn	Legislator
Mha Atma S Khalsa	Mha Atma S Khalsa	Mha Atma S Khalsa
Centro de Estudios Ecuménicos	Sara San Martín R	Promotora de Paz
Ms. Barbara G Leen	Ms. Barbara Leen	Barbara Leen
North American Climate, Conservation and Environment(NACCE)	Jerry Rivers	Environmental scientist and Climate Activist
Catherine J Foley	Catherine J Foley	Ms
InterReligious Task Force on Central America	Brian Stefan-Szittai	Co-Coordinator
Black Lives Matter South Bend	Jorden Giger	Cofounder
Women’s Intl League for Peace and Freedom, Burlington VT branch	Robin Lloyd	president of Burlington VT branch
Misionera Scalabriniana	Leticia Gutierrez Valderrama	Sister
Kickapoo Peace Circle	Steven Adams	Member
International Peace Research Association	Matt Meyer	Secretary General
N/A	Jim Loveland	2LT
Mario Zelaya/ retired teacher	Mario Zelaya	none
Nicaragua Center for Community Action	Diana Bohn	Nicaragua Center for Community Action – Co-Coordinator
Bernal Heights Democratic Club	Nic Griffin	member
Dr. Adrianne Aron	Adrianne Aron	Psychologist

Layla Razavi, Human Rights Lawyer	Layla Razavi	Human Rights Lawyer
PEOPLE’S EYE PHOTOGRAPHY	Malaika H Kambon	Owner
Ms Marilyn Lorenz	Marilyn Lorenz	Committed citizen
Emmaus Community	Michaelene Loughlin	President
IMAGINArte	Antonieta Gimeno	Theatre & Writing Facilitator
Karen Melander-Magoon, ‘D.Min.	Karen Melander-Magoon D.Minl.	Karen Melander-Magoon
Peace Economy Project	Abbe Sudvarg, M.D.	Board Chair
SolidarityINFOService	Michael Eisenscher	Publisher
FCNL – NJ Advocacy Team	Lisa Jordan	Coordinator
Marwa Elessawy	Marwa Elessawy	Student
Sandy Martin	Sandy Martin	NA
Team ENOUGH	Robert Schentrup	Organizing Manager
individual	Janice Kidd	President Trump
Latin America Caucus of the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice	Jennifer Jones	activist
Jennifer Rader	Jennifer Rader	Private Individual
Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center	Adam McGovern	Legislative strategist
Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence	Ruth Zakarin	CEO
Quixote Center	Fred Schick	Program Manager
Mark Frederick	Mark Frederick	Mark Frederick
Haiti Action Committee	Robert Roth	Co-founder
Peace Economy Project	Katerina Canyon	Executive Director
Latin American Working Group	Dayana Mosquera	Global Exchange & LAWG Colombia Policy Advisor
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns	Susan Gunn	Director
Centro de Atención a la Familia Migrante Indígena AC	Norma Mendieta Mendieta	Directora
Scotty Brookie	Scotty Brookie	Individual
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America	Marilyn McKenna	Co-Director
March For Our Lives	Ciara Malone	Legal Director
Texas Gun Sense	Nicole Golden	Executive Director
COLEFOM	Aaron Ortiz-Santos	Co-coordinator political affairs for USA
Haiti Action Committee	Pierre Labossiere	Co-Founder
Pierre Labossiere/Board Member Global Exchange	Pierre Labossiere	Board Member
Mothers Against Gun Violence	Debra Gillispie	Founder
Chicago Religious Leadership Network in Latin America (CRLN)	Jhonathan Gómez	Co-Director
Ecumenical Peace Institute/ Clergy and Laity Concerned	Vivian Zelaya	Board member
University of San Diego	Topher McDougal	Professor
Warren Gold MD	Warren Gold	President
ASOCIACION DE MUJERES AFRODESCENDIENTES	Katy Gil	Executive Director
Elena Marquina Barrera	Elena Marquina Barrera