A bipartisan pair of representatives in the House of Representatives has proposed legislation that will make it easier to perform the duties of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
H.R. 1924, also known as the Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade Facilitation (BEST) Act, ensures that image technicians and supervisors at ports are hired to examine more closely cargo scans, which, according to its supporters, will speed up waiting times and allow for easier detection of drugs such as fentanyl entering the U.S.
It is important to give agents a role that makes it easy for them to scan.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) said, “The small size of the pills and their ability to fit anywhere makes them harder to spot. This is also due to the appearance and transporting methods for fentanyl. The majority of fentanyl is detected at ports of entry, thanks to the technology we use.”
The fentanyl is then removed from the cars and rebuilt. When you have these types of positions for training, it enhances security at the ports of entry,” continued the Arizona Republican, adding that legislation was based on an idea that authorities had floated.
Ports are the main way that drugs cross the border. According to U.S. authorities, the majority of those convicted in recent years were Americans for smuggling specific fentanyl, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.
Ciscomani stated that “through this type of scanning process, where goods flow back and forth we can both prevent the cross-border movement of illegal drugs as well as speed the process for legal goods arriving.” Ciscomani also said that certain ports could benefit from the new legislation by increasing their trade and reducing wait times.
The migrants who crossed the border illegally during the Biden Administration put pressure on the resources in the ports. This led to even longer queues as the authorities tried to deal with the wave. CBP data shows that despite the challenges, the CBP seized more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl, and 158,000 pounds of meth, along the Southern border during fiscal year 2024.
“When I think about Eastern North Carolina and so many families being devastated in particular by the fentanyl crisis, we have to do something. We have to take urgent steps. We have to, you know, put aside the partisan politics because this is hitting home literally. So when I went to the border, taking three trips to the border, and in particular the Tucson sector,” Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., who’s co-sponsoring the legislation stated.
Davis continued, “I believe this will save lives because they’ll be able to do more inspections.”
H.R. 1294 was referred to the House Homeland Security Committee. It comes as the Trump Administration is launching a massive crackdown to address the border crisis. This has attracted praise from Republicans but also anger from Democrats. Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary, has announced that CBP encountered only 200 illegal border crossers on Saturday. This is the lowest number of people caught in 15 years.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids continue across the nation, and some are being held in Guantanamo Bay. Troops were also sent to the southern border after Donald Trump’s inauguration last month.
The overall discussion on Capitol Hill remains hot. Democratic Rep. Janelle Byrum slammed a bill from Ciscomani called the Raul Gonzalez Security Act for imposing harsher penalties on those who “intentionally fled” law enforcement at the border. The bill was eventually passed with bipartisan support.
But there have also been bright spots amid the broader disagreements on this issue. Arizona Republican legislators and Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes support a bill in the state that allows local authorities to take down drones they suspect are operated by cartels. This would hinder one of the tools used to smuggle illegal drugs.