[See Also: "Like the Roman..." GOP Congress Prepares to Replace American Veterans With Illegal Aliens in the Military by James Kirkpatrick, May 13, 2015]

As we've been warning for years, Mexico is, if not quite a "failed state," a "failing state." What defines a failing state? The defining characteristic of a modern state is a monopoly over the use of force within its territory. Mexico no longer has that. Drug cartels essentially rule parts of modern Mexico and have infiltrated some of its core law enforcement and national security institutions. The Zetas, one of the most infamous cartels, were created when some of Mexico's elite troops essentially defected and decided to use their skills to become drug dealers instead of fighting them. 

One of the most infuriating aspects of the "American Exceptionalism" or "Proposition Nation" tropes so common on the American Right is the idea that our country is somehow immune from the laws of history. America's Magic Dirt will not protect our institutions from breaking down. And now, we're beginning to see real evidence that even our most elite institutions are falling apart. 

On the surface, it seemed like a simple task: drive to a spot a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, pick up people and then drop them off at a McDonald’s or other spot past the city of San Diego, and make anywhere from $500 to $1,000. No need to cross into Mexico.

Two Marines whose arrests earlier this month for migrant smuggling led to the stunning arrests of fellow Marines at Camp Pendleton described in federal court documents such an offer being made to them. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service on Friday said a total of 19 service members have been arrested at the base, including 18 Marines and a Navy corpsman, who all serve in the same unit.

The military personnel are accused of various crimes from migrant smuggling to drug-related offenses, but officials have not said exactly how they were involved.

U.S. Border Patrol officials say smuggling rings have been luring U.S. troops, police officers, Border Patrol agents and others to work for them as drivers — a crucial component of moving migrants further into the United States once smugglers get them over the border from Mexico.

Border Patrol agents over the years have routinely caught migrants walking onto Camp Pendleton or floating in skiffs off the coast nearby. The camp, dissected by Interstate 5 leading to Los Angeles, sits along a well-traversed route used by smugglers.

[Smugglers offer cash to Marines, sailors to work for them as drivers, by Julie Watson, MarineTimes, July 28, 2019]

Obviously, if the military, and the Marine Corps specifically, is now being penetrated by smugglers, this is the beginning of state breakdown. Yet it makes sense. After all, it's not like our military is really being used to protect our own borders or our own national interests. How ridiculous is it that migrants are simply walking across Camp Pendleton, a base that is supposed to train our military to defend our country? It's no wonder some military personnel are saying, to hell with it, I'm going to get mine. 

Details are still spotty. We won't find out more until this week. 

None of the 19 service members has been charged with a crime. A Marine official not authorized to comment on the case said Friday he expected charges to be filed early next week.

[3 More Troops Arrested in Human Smuggling, Drug Probe, by Andrew Dyer, Military.com, July 29, 2019]

This is going to be one of the most important cases to follow in years. It will be especially interesting to see the ethnic background of those charged, though frankly this case could simply be explained by greed instead of just misplaced ethnic solidarity.

As VDARE.com has been writing about for years, our Border Patrol has been heavily compromised by corruption, some of it with an undeniable racial angle. Certainly there are patriotic Hispanics who are working hard to defend America, but they are coming under intense pressure from their co-ethnics. [Can Hispanic Border Patrol Agents Stand the Pressure?, by Gregory Hood, American Renaissance, July 24, 2019]

Has this gotten into the military as well? Certainly if it has, we won’t hear about it from the Main Stream Media, which is on the lookout for random people putting up stickers instead.