This is very interesting. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has announced [Press Release Here] an operation to target money service businesses on the southern border.
The objective is to identify targeted financial transaction businesses who participate in money laundering for cartel and criminal activity.
WASHINGTON— Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced a multi-tiered operation targeting more than 100 U.S. money services businesses (MSBs) operating along the southwest border. These MSBs—which provide financial services outside of a formal bank—are being examined for potential non-compliance with regulations designed to detect money laundering and combat illicit finance. FinCEN’s operation resulted in the issuance of six notices of investigation, dozens of examination referrals to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and over 50 compliance outreach letters.
“At President Trump’s direction, the Treasury Department is utilizing all tools to stop terrorist cartels, drug traffickers, and human smugglers,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “This sweeping operation will help root out potential cartel-related money laundering from the U.S. financial system.”
MSBs operating along the southwest border can face elevated exposure to illicit activity, including the laundering of proceeds from drug trafficking, smuggling of illegal aliens, and other serious crimes. This operation is consistent with President Trump’s directive to secure the border and to pursue the total elimination of Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations. (read more)
Any law enforcement activity that targets the Mexican cartel system is ultimately going to impact the government of Mexico. Many people accept the cartels control most of the politicians within the Mexican government.
At President Trump’s direction, the Treasury Department is utilizing all tools to stop terrorist cartels, drug traffickers, and human smugglers. This sweeping operation examining U.S. money services businesses along the southwest border will help root out potential cartel-related… pic.twitter.com/7g1aRLx4rh
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) December 22, 2025
“Many people accept the cartels control most of the politicians within the Mexican government.”
Any many in the US government too
The state government of Arizona comes to mind. Like that airhead governor that stole the election from Kari Lake.
🎯
Amen. And Kari’s senate seat run. AZ needs a come to Jesus… hard.
And closed our polling places on Election Day 2022.
I live in an area where almost all polling places were shut except for one older little town built in the 1960s and inhabited by old liberals. The only democratic demographic in the wider area.
* Soros Butt-Bitches Katie Hobbs, Mark Kelly, and Ruben Gallego — all Democrat-Communists “elected” in Arizona owing to massive Maricopa & Pima County election fraud — have entered the chat *
Let us not forget the FUBAR that is Georgia!
Somethings happening there, what is ain’t exactly clear… etc
What about Pennsylvania? Second state handing out CDL/ voting licenses to illegals, planned assassination attempt, presently presently approving abortion anytime before or after birth, most obvious rigging of the 2020 election by finding 800,000 Biden votes the week AFTER the election, to overcome Trump’s 700,000 vote lead. Leading all this is Josh Shapiro, the little bald “installed PA. Gov.” who plans to be selected our President in 2028 with the help of Alex Soros.
From memory, which fools me sometimes, but didn’t the PA SC decide no one has standing to contest 300,000 votes by non-citizens – something like that?
They were also helped by Never-Trump RINO Republicans, too, that conspired with the corrupt Soros Democrats in 2022: Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and County Supervisor Bill Gates. Thankfully, they are both out off office.
You might be wrong about Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), as he looks like an ‘elf’ that works for Santa Claus. Mark Kelly’s ‘realistic’ picture is featured on a ConservativeTreeHouse article dated, December 1, 2025; he looks like an actual Elf and not a real human.
Plus, it should be noted that Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) looks quite a bit like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, with a bit of make-up to hide his bright red nose. Mark Warner’s picture is featured in an article at the ConseervativeTreeHouse on November 23, 2025. Mark Warner does not look particularly human either as he does look like a humanoid reindeer.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Merry Christmas. …. Arizona is a Republican State. The Democrats were ‘Selected’ by prior arrangement.
I see funds drying up to our rogue CIA and NGO’s. I also predict if any hanky panky found no criminal charges will be made in regards to our side of the border. You know national security is at stake.
The whole Mexican government is run by and part of the cartel with global involvement
The media will blame the Somalians in 3,2,1…
It is oh, so convenient that a sizable US military presence is already on station in the region for other related narco-trafficking interdiction efforts.
But we all know whose bottom lines are really hurting now then don’t we? I’d expect to be seeing much more flak from the intel community before long.
💯
I had no idea we were even allowed to put military personnel on the border unless it was the National Guard. I’m pretty sure Texas stationed there NG on there border, under Biden, but they were ordered to stand down.
re: “I had no idea we were even allowed to put military personnel on the border”
Stimulus Generalization.
You’re thinking Posse Comitatus (Act), enacted in 1878, which limits the use of federal military forces in domestic law enforcement. This is to ensure that the military cannot act as a police force unless specifically authorized by the Constitution or an act of Congress …
18 U.S.C. 1385: The Posse Comitatus Act Explained – LegalClarity Some Clarity.
Merry Christmas.
Yes, and – (where’s the added value of the direct cite?)
Post does not address the conflation by the previous poster in the use of the military inside the US vs outside / at the border of the US.
Didn’t Obama repeal the posse comitatus in one of his NDAs? I thought he did.
Is the Posse Comitatus Act Constitutional? Has SCOTUS ever weighed in? It’s an honest question, I really don’t know. It seems like it could be an infringement on the powers of the Executive.
I’m amazed how these things kick up after prolonged Defocrat Administrations
It’s as if crime is allowed to occur when Dems have federal power.
Strange.
In my book of life so far, Scott Bessant is the best Treasury Secretary ever, except that he grows soybeans. These are bad juju for the human body. At least my body.
You will be happy to learn Bessant is a former soy bean farmer. He was required to liquidate his holdings to become Secretary.
Are you implying he is a soy boy?
It could be the big ag farming practices turning soy into a toxin to your body. but I agree in general that soybeans are not good for males.
Or t2diabetics
I agree with your assessment. And Janet Yellen was the worst..
We are selling a lot of soy beans to Chyna. So, there is that.
Lots of people don’t realize when they’re getting all proud of themselves for eating edamame, they’re stuffing themselves with soybeans.
Morons.
Walmart does big business sending remittances to Mexico from all over the country, not just the border. Just sayin
Bessent is just starting where the hunting is best!
The border will be where they’ll find a concentration of law breakers, and learning their MO will help Treasury find others around the country.
This gives Walmart time to change their ways?
I JUST DISCOVERED that 2 days ago while returning some merch and waiting in line behind 3 parties doing JUST THAT…..and noticing the signage in the customer service area was about 50% en espanol…. while the automated video signage for SENDING MONEY was 100% en espanol…… 🤔 🧐
….I’m in the upper midwest.
Everything is duo lingual now. Every bill I pay or service I call repeats a phrase in English/Spanish, sometimes Spanish first! TV Commercials strictly in Spanish! Time to pass a law that the USA official language is English and enforce it! If you can’t learn English, find a relative that’s bilingual or hire an interpreter. Option B, leave. Our ancestors were forced to learn it! All state and federal agencies should be forced to provide English only!
I remember once time in the mid 2000s going to a small town in NE Nevada, Elko, for Independence Day celebrations.
I was so excited because I expected it to look like small town Americana which contrasts with my home city of Las Vegas.
It was nothing but Spanish speaking illegals all over the gigantic park where the festivities were.
They are EVERYWHERE. That is why homes in a town of 20,000 in the middle of nowhere are $500,000 to $650,000
for a 2,500 sq ft new build on an acre or more of land.
To get around the margins being blown out,
Hit ENTER and make individual sentences.
The more posts we get the sooner we get to page 2.
Recalcitrant, I was relatively uninformed about the money transfers until I read your comment. Mexico is NOT the ‘primero’ money destination for money transfers. … This is an interest area for the ‘fox’ and the hounds to trace on the money-trail.
I looked for a quick source for the amount of money sent through the Walmart remittance program for money Transfers. Walmart does NOT provide that information as far as a quick search reveals.
I did see a number that as of (about) 2017 remittances have become Mexico’s number one source of ‘foreign’ income overtaking the selling of oil. [In the quick search] The old figure from that period blended the period and gave a figure of about $28 >billion dollars. Which is a lot of money for Taxpaying Americans but just pocket change for our Tax Spending politicians.
A.I. had this to say about the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ recently passed: ‘The remittance tax, part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, will impose a 3.5% tax on international money transfers starting January 1, 2026, affecting various stakeholders, including immigrants and financial institutions.’
We should more information about the amount of remittances transfers in the future because of the tax information. +It should be considered that most remittances from Mexicans in the United States are made to their families in Mexico. … Tracking drug money through remittances should be relatively easy through the amounts and the money destination within Mexico. [We’ll see, maybe!]
These businesses are more corrupt than what is mentioned so far here.
Within Mexico some of these business (along with internal banks) or individuals working there, are known to let the cartels know who is receiving the money (like families of the senders) within Mexico who then become targets of kidnapping, another lucrative business conducted by the cartels. Many, including children, meet their death. Fact.
This country is more dangerous than many war torn countries in the world and it’s on our border.
So happy to see this happen. It is long overdue. Shut it all down!
What PDJT is doing is much more comprehensive than anything tried before. Whether it will be futile like depicted in the movie Traffic is yet to be seen but no one has done as much as our great President to try to stop this. My prayers are with him. He never ceases to amaze.
jmbuck, Thinker and aries, all provided more good information about the scandals surrounding illegal immigration. [All immigration itself has always been used to destroy the Trade-Unions and lower wages.]
It’s horrific that the criminal cartels are targeting the families in Mexico for the money sent there by the workers in the USA. … +The scandal involving D-Gov. Walz in Minnesota and the Somalian scammers is only part of the scandals involving our Welfare System in America in all the states.
The income-tax laws were used to catch Al Capone and place him in prison. … Hopefully, the new Trump tax on remittances can be used to stop crime, both here in the USA and overseas. … Joe Biden is on record as benefiting >financially by his political activities. & Nancy Pelosi, former D-Speaker of the House, has been accused of gaining $187 million dollars in stock trading, with the assistance of ‘insider’ information as a powerful politician. … Who would have thought that San Fran Nan was a wiser investor than Warren Buffet. [Nan is multi-task person that would have become a multi-billionaire if she never ‘served the people’ by entering politics but dealt only in the stock market.] … I’d would rather have a law that a politician’s investments is instantly publicized rather than a prohibition. +More particulars in the political disclosure laws as to amassing wealth. [Of course, there will always be politicians like D-Senator Bob Melendez amassing a fortune in gold and cash stored at home.]
********************************************************
Taxes by our Government has been used by our government to actually inhibit some activities such as the taxes on cigarettes and whiskey. … Tariffs (duties and taxes in the US Constitution) were originally used to reduce the importing of overseas goods and encourage domestic industry.
For a good explanation of using tariffs to benefit the growth once again in American manufacturing, TheConservativeTreehouse, on April 4, 2025 wrote about the issues of ‘trade’ in >The Apoplexy Over the Trump Tariffs is the “Trillions at Stake” Part of Our Decade’s Long Discussion<. …An article well worth a second read. +Donald J. Trump has been thinking about the economic problems facing America long before he became President.
Yes, that’s why I said “mentioned so far”. Look at the time stamps.
Obviously this is a huge problem with so many way it can be corrupted.
One of the other ways the Mexicans or other foreigners cheat the system is on income tax filing. They work here, send lots of money back home to family in Mexico. At tax time they claim an exorbitant number of children as dependents. Lets say 8 -10. The IRS has no way of knowing if this is legit. They cannot go into Mexico to verify. Large numbers of dependents equals a tax refund. But I do have some sympathy for many Mexican workers. Lots of them are skilled workers, carpenters, brickmasons, painters. I went to Mexico in the mid-80’s. Minimum wage there was .25 cents per hour. If you could come to America, you could make $7 per hour. In America you would make $280 per week, in Mexico you would make $10 per week.
You are correct. I work for a staffing company (an aside – we use EVerify for every employee but it’s full of holes), anyway, the illegals use high allowances/deductions. Pay no federal taxes but still get dinged for FICA. But they’re all on some sort of taxpayer assistance. We pay for their healthcare, housing, food, education, translation etc etc. It’s the biggest scam that illegals are a net positive for the economy.
“We pay for”.
Which amounts to state subsidized labor, for some. Its not free enterprise or markets if the state is picking the winners. Its not free enterprise if your business model is dependent on a government grift.
Exactly.
American worker wages are depressed and jobs taken so the elites can make more money and then they have the nerve to have us pay for these worker’s healthcare and other government handouts while calling us all racists, lazy, and unable to do the work.
All the while they get richer and we get poorer. This is the number one problem and it needs to stop.
I do not hate the Mexicans. I am married to one. They have assimilated faster than any group in America’s history and generally work hard.
Trump tried to help Mexico rise in his first term but they shut him down. The USMCA treaty stipulated that Mexico had to pay the same wages in the factories as in the US. They agreed and changed their labor laws. Then the election was stolen and it was never carried through on.
We should not have to bring everyone here. Make Mexico and all South America Great! PDJT has the right idea.!
I once sent some money, Walmart to Walmart from one US state to Arizona to a relative. It was questioned to the point of refusal for some time before I could send it with the clerk claiming there was so much fraud in that area. I wondered then why I always saw several Mexicans lined up at the same location and how they managed to send money.
Never again.
Fortunately, online direct wire transfers and services like PayPal “friends and family” make that possible online now, at least within the USA.
Walmart also virtue signals that they no longer sell ammunition for “assault weapons” and write down information from my ID if I buy some 22. But wiring proceeds from illegal drug sales is just fine with the same upper management.
That, and wally world makes a lot of money from EBT sales, never checking for corruption. Sounds like the great capitalist enterprise has been taken over by Marxists.
Western Union does booming business as well.
Walmart is the store front for Western Union. If you try and resolve a money transfer dispute you get referred to Western Union help desk. Once was enough.
The government should put a tax of 80% to all remittances to Mexico or anyplace else.
“Any law enforcement activity that targets the Mexican cartel system is ultimately going to impact the government of Mexico.”
Also democrats. In the government of the US.
A lot of the leftist celebrities who always promote Harris Obama talking points and colleagues around election season are in cahoots with the Cartels… via Mexico businesses. Heck I don’t even trust that their sales are legit…. for all we know they are all laundering cash back to Mexico. Some of them are even partnered with Clinton Associates , who are not widely known.
And Rinos!
WHY TELEGRAPH OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS???!!!
Are we taxing remittances?
Taxing remittances is in the BBB but the house or Senate dropped the percentage to barely anything worth while.
Senate dropped the rate to 1% – my recall says House had it at 8%. Both refused an effort to make it 15%, which is too low anyway.
I still contend that remittances should be 33%.
First they are often working under the table, so we need income taxes.
Then, they are often receiving welfare, tax for that.
And until our illegal alien and border abuse problem is solved and decreases in scope and expense, foreigners should help pay for ice, cbp, and dhs (etc) services.
On top of all that, it should be a tool to actually deter economic migrants from coming until our system balances out again.
My understanding is that our government will be taxing remittances at 3.5% starting in January.
The original inclusion in the BBB was at 15%, then whittled down to 10%, then 7.5%, then 5%, to finally end up at 3.5%.
I thought 10% was reasonable as the lowest federal tax bracket on income for an individual is 10% from $0 to $11,600.
The US government is protecting foreigners. Makes you kind of proud does it not? By proud, I mean sick.
Isn’t it funny that they are giddy to raise taxes on Americans but hesitate to do so on foreigners?
My guess is that that 11.5% cut is what will be given to our politicians as a “thank you” gift.
A much needed and welcome addition to the fighting of crimes and, perhaps even the constant flow of money from our country to others.
Problem, reaction, solution.
Who controls the drug trade?
The CIA.
MSBs operate without any real oversight as do banks which must report suspicious activity, i.e., SARs to their related federal districts. In addition, it would be interesting to note how much remittance money flowed through these “hawallahs.” It is a matter of common sense to note that everyone of these msbs is a cartel start up or cartel involved/related money transfer facility. This investigation is long overdue. Shut this down and sh$t will hit the fan.
“hawallah” – I had never seen that term before:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%22hawallah%22&t=ffcm&ia=web
Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General, first Muslim in Congress, sworn in on Koran.
On April 3, 2014, Ellison introduced the Money Remittance Improvement Act into the United House. The bill would make it easier for Non bank financial institution such as money services business to provide remittance payments internationally. Ellison said that “passage of the Money Remittances Improvement Act is cause for celebration for all diaspora communities.”
Bessent discussed this on Face the Nation last week and now, it’s happening!
Love it!!
This seems like such a common sense move. Everyone knows where the money is, just nobody wants to go after it.
It has got to go somewhere…
So how big of a blender did he need? Or did he sell his inventory to Organic Smoothie shops?
Yes – “This is what I voted for.”
What no one ever talks about or realizes is the amount of money that goes into the hands of loan sharks. You know that nice man that’s out there doing landscaping. Well a lot of them will tell you how they are sending money home for their families. Well guess what? Once it gets there (maybe his brother or uncle) the money is borrowed and if you don’t pay, well use your imagination. This is a lot of illegal shenanigans that we are encouraging that has nothing to do with the cartels.
I’m just waiting to see how Governor Nuisance of California tries to block the Feds from doing their work.
So Trump targets money laundering while Democrats support it?
Speaking of cartels, I came across this yesterday – (quite eye opening)
“Cartels In The Wasteland: An Inside Look At California’s Massive Illegal Grow Operations”
Way overdue. Arresting punk street dealers is like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. The cartel “businesses” are cash-based and hitting them in the cash is the most effective way to fight them, short of shooting them out of hand.
I wonder how this will impact the average illegal alien invader who sends money back “home” because dontcha know they’re just here to provide a better life for their families by pirating our welfare state.
Fully agree. “Drug intervention” in US neighborhoods never went anywhere up the chain past the
local thugs. Anyone that was witness to it could have came up with useful plans to deter it, go to at
least mid management, but never happened. By design.
President Trump’s greatest overall victory is that he has completely upended the corrupt “business as usual” shenanigans of America’s political and financial sectors.
Keep the wins coming!
Please look into Venmo!!!
Boulder CO, exit ramp to a major mall had a family of five begging with their sign “we take Venmo”!
And no doubt collecting all the governement freebies.
When we lived in Medford, Oregon there was a family in Ashland working the off ramps.
“Living in our car” signs, children in rags. Turns out they were living quite well off the daily earnings of several hundred dollars
per day take and the welfare bennies.
Why is the article all stretched out making it hard to read?
Is it caused by someone’s comment?
The page has looked different nearly every time I reload it … using FireFox here …
It’s doing it on Firefox and Chrome
This looks to be the only discussion with the problem.
Probably a glitch on the host end .
Usually it is someone’s comment.
All we can do is hit ENTER after each sentence.
Then we wait until we get to page 2 and the problem should be resolved.
The more comments we get the the sooner we get to page 2.
Use Brave. No pop-ups and loads fine.
Add an add-on called “uBlock Origin” (can be added to FireFox for instance) and get the same thing, AND no intruding ads on YouTube.
It’s usually caused by a post from a picture or link with too long of a web address. Not
much you can do until it’s deleted by admin or edited out by the original poster.
For those having issues –
1) Go to this comment:
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/12/24/secretary-bessent-announces-treasury-operation-on-southern-border-to-target-money-laundering/#comment-12295104
2) Click “Hide Replies” up arrow “^” making it a “v” and the comment with the problem will be hidden.
The only way to stop the cartels is to make the trafficking not only unprofitable, but also create a serious financial risk to those financing the operations.
I too am surprised that he announced the operation. I suppose, like encouraging the illegals to self deport, it will allow the more legit money service operations to willingly tighten their procedures. Many of the less legit will quickly close shop. The traffickers will have to scramble to find new methods. Maybe the sudden shifts of money flows will help expose who is/was laundering and who is not??
MAGA
Any company on the U.S. side of the border should instantly be shut down if involved.
Then ALL on this side that has excepted money and I mean everyone including politicians and legal (bribes to Judges) should be Arrested and prosecuted under the terrorist umbrella.
I have been saying this for years.
Tax individual remittances (i.e. through Wal Mart, Western Union, etc.) at a rate of 75%.
Doing so disincentivizes most illegal immigration, as it is economic factors that draw most of these people to come here illegally.
3-point-
something percent is not a serious number.
But then, people in Congress and the Senate aren’t serious about solving the problem, either.
In order to finish with these “transfers”, the government should go after the employers. They are the ones that hire these illegals under the table and they pay them peanuts in cash. By doing so, the employer and “employee” do not contribute to the Social Security system, do not pay payroll taxes or income tax, thus undermining the system. Put enormous fines per illegal. Let’s see how long these “employers” change their hiring practices.
This may seem an off the wall comment .. start by decertifying China Inc. Banks as well as bar them from US Trading Exchanges.
Also, put US Investment Companies and brokers on notice to drop China Inc. banks from their holdings.
… also along the lines of this story … put Money Exchange and wire business on notice to stop the remittances as well as start decertifying selected banks from Central and South America.
this guy was a wef/klaus schwab devotee in the 90s, a leopard doesn’t change its spots…
That is disappointing.
BINGO!
Rip them out by the ROOTS!
And roll up the filthy politicians benefiting from it…
NO MERCY!
I wonder why they announce this.
I suspect it will effect Mexican politicians but I look forward to seeing which American politicians are effected also.
Wish our current administration would hit hard the remittance being sent back to Mexico which would further hurt the Mexican government and deter the illegals from coming here to work.