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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Lourdes Medrano in El Paso, Texas, with photographs by Christ Chavez

The US tried to stop cartel money-laundering. It devastated mom-and-pop businesses instead

A woman behind a counter with a sign that reads, 'No Western Union' in a grocery store
Evangelina Ornelas, co-owner of Nachita’s Grocery, where customers frequently went for money transfers. Now concerns are growing about how the government might use the personal data collected from ordinary customers. Photograph: Christ Chavez/The Guardian

Last April, the Trump administration rolled out its latest tool in the fight against Mexican cartels: an aggressive crackdown on money transfers near the US-Mexico border.

The administration said that, in an effort to stop money laundering and other illicit activity, it would now require any business providing financial services in the region to report cash transactions over $200. Previously, the amount had been $10,000.

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