(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Republicans say stricter border security needed to address fentanyl crisis, trafficking [1]
['Robin Opsahl', 'More From Author', '- July']
Date: 2022-07-22
Iowa Republicans in Congress say that if the nation wants to address its fentanyl crisis and human trafficking rings, it needs a stronger approach to immigration and border security.
First on that agenda is reinstating border control policies imposed by the administration of former President Donald Trump. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa visited the southern border in the Texas Rio Grande Valley last week alongside a delegation of fellow Republican senators, going on a night tour with Border Patrol and speaking with local residents.
Ernst said that the problems she saw along the border during the July trip were “infinitely worse” than when she visited on a trip during the Trump administration.
“When is the administration going to wake up and say, ‘Stop coming here, don’t take this dangerous journey’? When are they going to change their policies?” Ernst told the Senate Wednesday.
President Joe Biden’s administration eliminated some of Trump’s immigration policies shortly after taking office. He lifted Trump’s ‘remain in Mexico’ policy for asylum seekers coming from Mexico to not cross over the border until their cases were resolved in U.S. immigration courts. Additionally, Biden imposed a series of “Alternatives to Detention” policies, which allow the release of migrants in the U.S. while they are awaiting hearings in immigration court.
In addition to reversing Biden’s action on migrant detention and asylum policies, Republican leaders in Washington have said they want to resume construction on the border wall and pass more laws targeting cartel activity.
On Wednesday, Ernst introduced legislation targeting cartel “spotters,” surveillance workers who help cartels avoid law enforcement when crossing the border. But, she said, the most effective way to stop human and drug trafficking – and the abuse of women by cartel members – is through increased border security.
“It’s something that, as Congress, we can do whether the president buys in or not,” she said.
Republicans will have to wait to accomplish larger immigration policy goals, as Democrats currently have a majority in the Senate and House. Some policymakers hope the problems they attribute to Biden’s border policies will help them win come November.
In Iowa, that means arguing that cartels are behind the increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Iowa. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley talked about the prominence of fentanyl in counterfeit pills during a Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing this month, as the drug caused a massive spike in overdose deaths nationwide. Iowa alone has seen a 120% increase in overdose deaths for people younger than 25, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported.
Like Gov. Kim Reynolds, Grassley says most of the pills containing fentanyl were manufactured in China and brought into the U.S. over the Mexican border.
“Our drug crisis has been fueled by the steady flow of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, across our borders,” he said.
Democrats like Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller say Iowa should focus on legislation preventing deaths within state borders. In a news conference Thursday, Miller said he plans on introducing legislation next session to decriminalize fentanyl test strips, which are currently considered drug paraphernalia.
He also called for Iowa to increase access to naloxone, a drug that is currently available at pharmacies without a prescription and is used to prevent overdoses. Such actions should not be partisan issues, Miller said, adding that his proposal has been met with “mixed reaction” among lawmakers.
“We have tools available that could reduce these deaths,” Miller said Thursday. “But we must first change Iowa’s laws.”
But some, including U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinsen, say upping security and law enforcement efforts to stop the flow of drugs is the best way to prevent these deaths. In June, she proposed using $15 million in U.S. Food and Drug Administration funds toward coordination with agencies including the Customs and Border Patrol, and Drug Enforcement Administration.
Her proposal, which was adopted by the House Appropriations Committee, would allocate money to agencies so they can better work together along the U.S.-Mexico border and find illegal drugs shipped internationally.
“How is it getting into American communities? It’s being illegally shipped through international mail, and it is being trafficked across our southern border,” she said. “The good news is that we have all these agencies doing work on the problem – they just need to be coordinating better.”
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[1] Url:
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/07/22/republicans-say-stricter-border-security-needed-to-address-fentanyl-crisis-trafficking/
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