Sen. Baldwin introduces border security bill to stop flow of fentanyl

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined her colleagues on Tuesday to introduce legislation to reduce the flow of fentanyl by providing much-needed resources to secure the southwest border.

The Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act increases staffing capacity and technology to detect illicit drugs and other contraband being smuggled through ports of entry along the border. The bill targets the most common way that fentanyl is coming into the United States: through ports of entry along the southwest border.

“Although Wisconsin is not a border state, our communities still feel the impact of harmful drugs like fentanyl coming into our country,” said Sen. Baldwin. “Our bill will help secure our border and stop fentanyl from being smuggled into the country by making sure our law enforcement officers and border patrol agents have the staffing, technology, and resources needed to protect our communities and, ultimately, save lives.”

The Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act would enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection to hire more officers and Border Patrol Agents to increase capacity to stop illicit smuggling over the border. The bill also provides funding to purchase Non-Intrusive Inspection systems, which scan vehicles and cargo at the border to provide detailed images of their interiors, which leads to the detection of fentanyl and other illicit drugs.

Additionally, the bill would create an inspection program to increase the seizure of firearms, which Mexican cartels frequently purchase in the U.S. and smuggle into Mexico to support their fentanyl production operations and other violent criminal enterprises.

This legislation is led by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and also co-sponsored by Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

In addition to introducing the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, Senator Baldwin also supports a number of bills to address different aspects of the fentanyl crisis including the bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2023, or SUPPORT Act.

Additionally, Senator Baldwin’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act was included in the Senate-passed FY24 National Defense Authorization Act, bipartisan legislation that would combat our country’s fentanyl crisis by targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, including chemical suppliers in China and cartels that traffic the drugs from Mexico.