The fentanyl epidemic in the United States has reached a critical point where some morgues are running out of room to accommodate deaths specifically related to fentanyl overdoses, according to several state coroners. Reports indicate that a significant jump in synthetic opioid deaths since 2015 has increased from 6,000 to 63,000 just last year, with fentanyl playing the most significant role. The recent development comes as the Biden administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continue to argue that the U.S. Southern border remains secure even though drug trafficking of fentanyl and other substances continues to cross at a rapid rate into America.
According to media reports, coroners’ offices across the U.S. have told reporters that they are having trouble in keeping up with the bodies of those who have overdosed on fentanyl. In Indianapolis, the Marion County Coroner's Office blames the drug for their crowded morgue. In states like Illinois, morgue rooms and resources that were needed and used during the COVID-19 pandemic have been used to deal with the ongoing fentanyl deaths.
Medical officials like Chicago's Cook County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ponni concluded that the most common non-natural deaths are opioid-related, becoming more than the number of homicides, traffic accidents, and other deaths combined. According to reports, opioid-related deaths in places like Chicago have increased since 2015 to hundreds to thousands of victims in 2021. Many health officials argue that these deaths are preventable, and yet many young people experimenting with such drugs are quickly dying.
More recently, The Foreign Desk reported on some drug cartels creating and selling fentanyl in candy-like forms, advertising it to small and teenage children and leading to more deaths.
According to Border Patrol Agents, the astounding increase in drug trafficking across Mexico into the U.S. can clearly be connected to President Biden's reversal of border policies created and implemented under the Trump administration. After the 2020 election and President Biden's inauguration, Border Patrol agents and DHS officials have had to deal with massive influxes of migrants crossing over illegally into America thanks to the Administration's border stance and lack of resources.
From 2021 to today, the U.S. Southern Border has remained without proper security, leading to numerous reports of drug smuggling from cartels and deaths of migrants crossing over. For his part, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has declared that the U.S. Southern border is secure, citing the numerous instances where Border Patrol Agents have stopped fentanyl smuggling operations. However, in the past few months, Border Patrol Agents have voiced their anger and frustration against Mayorkas, telling the DHS Secretary and other officials that President Biden's policies have led to the increased influxes and fentanyl spreading from the drug cartels into the hands of Americans.
In Congress, Republicans and Democratic representatives have called on Secretary Mayorkas to explain the administration's handling of the ongoing crisis while calling on the President to demand more resources necessary to crack down on drug traffickers and migrants crossing the border. With the upcoming Midterms in November, Republicans throughout the country are vowing to manage the ongoing border crisis should they take over the House of Representatives and Senate.
