Border crisis uniquely impacts Southern California

Date:

The United States has seen 10 million illegal border crossings on President Biden and Vice President Harris’ watch. This dramatic increase in illegal immigration plays a significant role in the crime epidemic plaguing our communities.

For communities in Southern California, the chief consequence of the Biden-Harris border crisis is the explosion of fentanyl. The fentanyl crisis is ripping families apart, killing over 200 Americans per day and serving as the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45.

And like many other problems we face, our leading adversary Communist China is the main culprit. As laid out in a recent report, the Chinese Communist Party is responsible for manufacturing, shipping, and profiting off of fentanyl. Our adversary takes advantage of an open southern border to funnel fentanyl into the U.S.

The CCP and Mexican drug cartels profit as Southern California families suffer.

The worsening fentanyl crisis calls for action. I’m proud to have recently been appointed to a newly formed committee in Congress committed to finding solutions to stopping the flow of fentanyl.

The Fentanyl Working Group, a product of the Select Committee on Communist China, is committed to pursuing new enforcement measures to restrict trafficking while strengthening or imposing sanctions on foreign entities involved in the fentanyl trade. While the potential solutions are multi-faceted, the most immediate action to be taken is clear. Secure the border.

Our region sees this issue firsthand. I frequently listen to horror stories from our law enforcement officials regarding the flow of deadly drugs into our communities and households.

The volume of narcotics coming across our border has dramatically increased over the past four years. According to congressional testimony from Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, seizures of fentanyl powder increased 676% from the time President Biden took office through 2023. Seizures of fentanyl pills have increased nearly 4,00%.

The materials used to produce fentanyl – known as precursors – are manufactured in China, smuggled across our border, and introduced to our communities via drug cartels. Even more scary, these precursor chemicals often enter the U.S. via our ports in Los Angeles, then are driven down to Mexico and returned to our streets as fully potent narcotics.

Unfortunately, the Biden-Harris Administration does not take the fentanyl crisis seriously – even as family after family suffers the loss of loved ones. If it was on their radar, they would have already shut down the border and with it, points of entry for drug smuggling. Their own policies upon taking office repealed proven, effective solutions for reducing illegal immigration.

Worldwide, bad actors are taking note of America’s porous Southern border. These are the consequences of policies that fail to discourage illegal immigration, at the expense of those seeking to come to the U.S. legally.

Make no mistake, both the President and Vice President own this crisis. Since President Biden put VP Harris in charge of the border early in his term, illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking have surged.

As an immigrant myself who now represents many first-generation Americans in Congress, I will continue to push the Biden-Harris administration to encourage legal immigration while cracking down on illegal border crossings.

Many of my constituents and I came here legally, worked hard, and fought for the American dream. But illegal immigration disrespects the rule of law as well as those seeking to come here the right way. And as we continue to learn, an unsecure border ensures the spread of harmful substances like fentanyl throughout our communities.

Enough is enough. It’s time to secure the border, protect Southern California families, and hold those preying on our communities accountable.

Michelle Steel represents California’s 45th congressional district and serves on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the CCP.

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