A group of three bipartisan House members introduced a bill, "Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act," on Thursday to reduce the flow of fentanyl at the U.S. southern border.
The bill, a House version of an existing bipartisan Senate bill, was unveiled by Representatives Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), NBC News reported.
The newly introduced bill will address two major issues for the 2024 elections -- immigration and the opioid crisis. The Senate version is led by Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who is also a key target for the GOP this election cycle.
The bill proposes allocating over $5 billion to increase staffing and technology to detect illegal drugs, weapons and other contraband being smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are at least 31 scanning systems, called Non-Intrusive Inspection Systems, already set up at the border in vehicles at entry points, with many more being built.
These scanners are the best tool the Biden administration has to find fentanyl in vehicles crossing the border. Congress needs to provide funding to install these scanners at the border. Some money for this was made available in May.
"The opioid crisis continues to harm American families," Vasquez told NBC News one day ahead of the bill announcement. "This bill would help put a huge dent in what the cartel is trying to do in moving these drugs into our country."
Nearly 74,000 Americans died in 2022 from overdoses of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, as per the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Besides using the Non-Intrusive Inspection Systems, the new bill would also fund more law enforcement officers and border personnel.
Earlier this year, the Congress passed a bipartisan bill to expand sanctions on fentanyl traffickers in Mexico and Chinese chemical suppliers. President Joe Biden signed it into law as part of a national security package.
However, most of Capitol Hill's efforts to improve border security have failed, especially after Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, blocked a bipartisan border security bill during a competitive election year.
"It's a shameful thing that we are seeing in Congress today, despite fentanyl being the largest health care crisis that we are facing," Vasquez added. "Politics is getting in the way of us finding the solutions to stop these drugs from coming into the country."
Last year, Costa Rica police detained four gang members, who were accused of synthetic drug fentanyl trafficking and making.
During that time, the United States Justice Department ordered Drogueria Betances, one of Puerto Rico's biggest drug distributors, to pay $12 million for not reporting nearly 800 suspicious orders for controlled substances.
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