American Border Patrol agents recently arrested an individual who allegedly attempted to smuggle around $3.7 million in lethal fentanyl from Mexico to California Monday, according to recent media reports.
The United States Customs and Border Protection agency stated that the person in question was an American citizen who tried to smuggle around 250 pounds of fentanyl in his truck's spare tire and gas tank. The recent arrest comes as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' claimed that the southern border is secure.
According to reports, Border Patrol agents discovered the illicit drugs when a K-9 unit flagged the individual's black GMC truck during a vehicle stop near Campo, California, located near the Mexican border. Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke told reporters that he was proud of the agency for preventing the dangerous narcotics from reaching California. The official also added that his unit in San Diego has been responsible for over half of all fentanyl seized by the U.S. border patrol this year.
Even after the arrest Monday, Mayorkas stated at the Aspen Security Forum that the U.S. Southern Border was secure and that the department would be working to ensure its security, describing it as a "historic challenge."
Mayorkas then blamed lawmakers who stated they would not commit to broad immigration legislation until they confronted the issue. Mayorkas' comments faced pushback and outrage from numerous Border Patrol agents and groups monitoring the ongoing crisis, who stated that hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing every month is the opposite of security.
Groups like the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) disputed Mayorkas' claim arguing that lethal drugs like fentanyl and unaccompanied migrants have come into the U.S. since President Biden and his team reversed policies from the former Trump administration. High-level officials in the DHS and Border Patrol told reporters that there were around 440,000 cases where individuals snuck past agents since October 2021, with over 50,000 in May. Many agents in the DHS and Border Patrol stated that the U.S. southern border is the least secure in history, using evidence from the several million known instances of individuals coming successfully into America and the several thousands of overdose deaths from narcotic drugs.
While many experts and agents active in the ongoing border crisis stated that they were easy solutions that Mayorkas could implement, they also argue that the administration and the DHS do not care about the American people. Some agents have told reporters that the Mayorkas and the White House are telling lies to the American people, using issues like crime, poverty, and others as reasons for asylum, which does not meet the legal standard of immigration law.
The border crisis has been an ongoing crisis that has increased under the Biden administration. After coming into power in 2020, the President and his team reversed all the Trump administration's policies regarding the U.S. southern border, sparking outrage from members of Congress and the Border Patrol. As a result, there has been a massive influx of illegal migration into the U.S., increased drug smuggling, and numerous deaths of migrants crossing over.
According to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC), deaths from drug overdoses rose to an all-time high of more than 107,000 in 2021. This report indicated a 15 percent increase from 2021, following the previous year when fentanyl drug overdose deaths jumped to 30 percent. As the ongoing border crisis continues, many believe that the administration will try to convince the American people that the border is secure, citing instances of stopping fentanyl drug smuggling. With the 2022 midterms on the horizon, Republican members of Congress continue to highlight the administration's inability to manage the issue and the reasons behind their actions.
