These themes reflect complementary lines of inquiry that together anchor the center’s research agenda.
Drug Trafficking, Cartel Dynamics & Illicit Economies
Lead: Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera
- Corporate evolution of cartels (e.g., Zetas, CJNG)
- Fentanyl trade, trafficking routes, and state–cartel relationships
- Money laundering networks and illicit financial flows
- Comparative studies along the U.S.–Mexico border and transnational crime corridors
Undocumented Immigration, Human Smuggling Networks, Migration Industries & Border Governance
Lead: Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera
- Human smuggling logistics and organizational structures
- Migration facilitation industries and border economies
- Border governance
- Irregular migration and enforcement dynamics
- CORE-KG LLM/SNA model for human smuggling networks
- Undocumented immigration and human smuggling in organized crime and illicit trade
- Humanitarian risk and governance challenges within migration facilitation networks
Illicit Organ Trafficking & Global Kidney Trade Systems
Lead: Naoru Koizumi
- Network reconstruction of global kidney trade
- NSF-funded modeling of illicit kidney networks
- SNA of court-documented trafficking cases (e.g., Medicus)
- NSUM population estimates
- AI/LLM extraction of trafficking geographies and patterns
Elite Influence, Offshoring & Weaponized Corruption
Lead: Janine Wedel
- Offshoring systems and semi-legal corruption
- Privatized policy and hybrid governance
- Weaponized corruption as political influence
- Mapping influence elites and transnational governance networks
Shadow Networks, Informal Power & Transnational Influence Systems
Lead: Janine Wedel
- Hidden actors shaping political and policy outcomes
- Influence ecosystems across the U.S., Europe, Russia, and Ukraine
- State–elite alliances and decentralized corruption
- Informal governance and alternative power structures