Hoeven Outlines Importance of Border Security in Stopping Flow of Fentanyl into American Communities

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WASHINGTON – During remarks delivered on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week, Senator John Hoeven outlined the importance of border security in stopping the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. from Mexico and Canada. The senator pointed to the success of President Trump enforcing the law and reinstating the kinds of policies that discourage illegal crossings and empower U.S. border professionals to do their jobs.

The remarks come as part of Hoeven’s efforts to push back on illegal immigration, advance policies that will make the border truly secure and protect America’s communities against criminal organizations that smuggle fentanyl and other illicit substances into the U.S. Among other efforts, Hoeven joined the U.S. Senate last month in passing the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act, legislation to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I and apply mandatory minimum sentencing for the trafficking of fentanyl-related substances.

“The result of our country returning to common-sense border security policies can be seen in the numbers. In March, Border Patrol agents encountered just 7,181 illegal immigrants attempting to cross the southern border. This is a stark contrast compared to just one year ago, when under President Biden the total encounters for the month of March totaled 137,473. That represents a 95 percent decrease in crossings,” said Hoeven.

“On his first day in office, President Trump signed a series of executive orders addressing the border crisis that have been affecting our country, and began the process of removing criminals who had illegally entered under the previous administration. These executive actions have served as the first step in reversing the catch and release policies that allowed members of cartels, gangs, and violent transnational criminal organizations, like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, to remain in the United States while operating criminal enterprises. By declaring an emergency at the border – DHS, DOD, and DOJ – were able to take a whole of government approach and began working together to identify the criminals that were illegally operating these networks within our country.

“The result of these harmful Democrat open border policies has been felt by us all, and have turned every state into a border state. Leadership for the DEA Omaha Division, which includes my state, said it plainly and simply – the repeated presence of fentanyl in our communities is due to outside forces… CBP officers, Border Patrol agents, state, local, and tribal law enforcement are stepping up to take on the fentanyl crisis at our borders. I urge my Democratic colleagues to join us in a bipartisan way and support the effort to continue securing our border, and going after the criminals that have illegally entered our country and continue to do harm.”

In addition, Hoeven stressed that the efforts of the Trump administration have resulted in Canada and Mexico stepping up their own border enforcement to help stop drug trafficking. Hoeven highlighted that:

In February, the President of Mexico agreed to send 10,000 National Guard troops to help secure its northern border with the U.S.
The Canadian government has:
- Named a fentanyl czar and listed Mexican cartels as terrorist groups.
- Launched a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.
- Increased its law enforcement presence at the border with a 56 percent increase in border personnel at land borders and ports of entry.

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