(By Kim Jarrett, The Center Square) U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, proposes using seized drug assets to fund the wall at the southern U.S. border.
A bill, entitled the “Build the Wall and Fight Fentanyl Act,” would also create a second fund the congressman said would be used to combat the fentanyl epidemic.
“Criminal drug traffickers have smuggled enough fentanyl into our country to kill every man, woman, and child in the United States, and tragically, too many families know the pain of losing a loved one to this deadly crisis,” Feenstra said. “While President Biden has failed to uphold his oath of office and secure our border, I remain committed to delivering real solutions to the border crisis by beating the drug traffickers at their own game and using their illegal financial gains to finish the border wall and support our families.”
Cities near the southern U.S. border say the migrants are creating crises in their cities. El Paso, Texas, declared its third state of emergency earlier this month as more than 200 migrants were released there in June.
Lawmakers blame the border crisis for an uptick in fentanyl distribution.
“The fentanyl epidemic is killing Americans every day, and it’s directly linked to our open border,” said Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla. “Since the Biden administration has failed at properly addressing these two crises, Congress must use innovative solutions to help secure our country.” Steube is co-sponsoring the bill.
House Republicans point the finger at Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. A report last week accused Mayorkas of “dereliction of duty” and claimed Biden’s immigration policies are “ineffective.”
The DHS said in its response, “The Department will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border, protect the United States from terrorism, and improve our cybersecurity, all while building a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system. Instead of pointing fingers and pursuing a baseless impeachment, Congress should work with the Department and pass comprehensive legislation to fix our broken immigration system, which has not been updated in decades.”
