New bill would expand outbound inspections targeting cartel trafficking in US

It was filed by Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Republican U.S. Sens. Jon Husted of Ohio and James Lankford of Oklahoma. 

While the Trump administration has reduced illegal border crossings by more than 90%, millions of foreign nationals illegally entered the country during the Biden administration, including cartel operatives, The Center Square reported. The Trump administration, working with state and local partners, are working to identify them and continuing to crack down on a range of crimes.

In Texas, Operation Lone Star border security law enforcement officials have  told The Center Square that cartel operatives smuggle people and drugs north into the U.S., and stolen vehicles, weapons and cash south into Mexico. As OLS efforts expanded, cartel operatives began moving contraband across the Gulf to other states in stolen shipping containers, The Center Square exclusively reported.  

“Dismantling drug cartels requires cutting off the flow of illegal firearms and cartel money moving from the U.S. into Mexico, which help give cartels the resources to continue to operate and flood our communities with deadly drugs,” Hassan said. “This bipartisan legislation significantly enhances our southbound inspection capabilities, which will help disrupt cartel operations and reduce the trafficking of fentanyl, which has devastated communities across New Hampshire and nationwide.”

As Trump administration federal and state task forces are targeting cartel activity in inner cities and along major thoroughfares, Husted said, “we also need to cut off the weapons and funding that allow drug cartels to operate. Strengthening southbound inspections will help disrupt cartel operations, keep illegal firearms out of their hands and reduce the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our communities.”

The new law would require at least 10% of southbound vehicles to be inspected and authorize another 50 additional X-ray inspection systems for southbound inspections. These inspections and systems would be located at the southwest border from California to Texas in high volume areas. 

Lankford said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection “still doesn’t have the resources they need to stop gun smuggling to the criminal cartels in Mexico. We need to ensure border law enforcement has the personnel and technology to crack down on criminal activity that puts Americans at risk.”

The bill would also authorize at least 100 additional Homeland Security Investigations agents to investigate the smuggling of guns and money from the U.S. into Mexico. It also authorizes at least 100 additional HSI agents to investigate drug smuggling, human trafficking, child trafficking and unauthorized entries from Mexico into the U.S., according to the bill language. It also authorizes the hiring and training of support staff as needed to assist HSI special agents.

The bill applies to both the southwest and northern borders.  

It directs the Department of Homeland Security to identify the resources needed to carry out outbound and inbound inspections from the U.S. to Mexico or Canada and from Mexico or Canada into the U.S. It also includes reporting requirements and minimum mandatory inspection rates.