Rep. Higgins bill would grow DHS authority to crack down on fentanyl smugglers

Initial ON FOX: Laws released Friday by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., would expand the Department of Homeland Security’s powers to perform counter-narcotic operations from cartels pushing fentanyl across the U.S. southern border as the region continues to be racked by an opioid crisis.

The Homeland Stability Fentanyl Enforcement Act would amend the Controlled Substance Act to provide DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) brokers with an unbiased authority to enforce U.S. drug regulations.

When HSI, which is element of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has principal responsibility for investigating transnational crimes, its agents are necessary to rely on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) when it arrives to drug crimes. 

The bill would hence give full authority for enforcement less than Title 21, letting HSI to examine drug crimes, which includes the smuggling of fentanyl throughout the U.S. southern border.

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The U.S. is dealing with an boost in fatalities attributable to illicit fentanyl, which is mostly created in Mexico with Chinese precursors and then smuggled in throughout the southern land border by using drug cartels.  The artificial opioid is 50-100 occasions additional powerful than morphine and is frequently extra to other medications, that means that customers may possibly usually be unaware that they are ingesting it.

Of the more than 108,000 overdose fatalities final 12 months, much more than 80,000 ended up joined with fentanyl, officials say. The Drug Enforcement Administration has beforehand warned that the drug is killing Us residents at an "unparalleled price. 

"The legal cartels are sending fentanyl and other deadly medicines across our border at unprecedented premiums. HSI is on the frontline in the combat from the cartels, but they deficiency the unbiased statutory authority to enforce drug crimes and focus on narco-trafficking. It’s absurd," Higgins stated in a statement. 

"We must not allow bureaucracy to constrain our initiatives to battle the felony cartels, which is why I’m introducing our monthly bill to grant HSI agents full Title 21 authority. Our legislation would insert 1000's of really expert federal legislation enforcement officers to battle drug trafficking … at no cost to the American taxpayers. This is a widespread-sense bill that assists protected The united states and retains deadly medications out of our communities."

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Co-sponsors on the monthly bill include Reps. Brian Babin, R-Texas, Mike Carey, R-Ohio, Mayra Flores, R-Texas, Mary Miller, R-Sick., Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Chris Smith, R-N.J.

Higgins’ office said the bill was made in consultation with frontline law enforcement at DHS, and mentioned that it would not price tag the taxpayer anything as it would basically extend current authorities.

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The bill is the most current by lawmakers and officers to crack down on the fentanyl disaster. Previously this month, a bipartisan coalition of 18 point out lawyers normal called on President Biden to acquire "fast and decisive action" to declare fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

In the meantime, the White Dwelling has been highlighting its have endeavours to lower fentanyl fatalities in the U.S. and has reported that the 200% raise in seizures at the southern border in July is a sign that its anti-smuggling initiatives are working.