This week, Congressmen Andy Biggs and Brian Babin, co-chairs of the Congressional Border Security Caucus, sent a letter to CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus and ICE Acting Director Tae Johnson inviting them to speak to the caucus about their efforts to secure our border and enforce our nation’s immigration laws.
The invite comes as the Drug Enforcement Administration is reporting that record-breaking amounts of fentanyl are pouring over the border into Arizona. Law enforcement seized nearly 12 million fentanyl pills in 2021 in Arizona — double the number of fentanyl pills seized in 2020.
“In 25 years of law enforcement, I’ve never seen anything like this fentanyl epidemic,” DEA Special Agent in Charge for Phoenix Cheri Oz told FOX10.
Agent Oz attributed the source of the fentanyl to Mexican drug cartels trafficking the pills over the southern border into Arizona. The volume of fentanyl alarms the DEA official, who says the fentanyl-laced pills have a 42 percent lethality rate. That means that two out of every five pills could be a fatal dose, she said.
“The Biden administration has created the worst border crisis in American history. On his first day in office, President Biden began rolling back Trump-era policies that reduced illegal immigration and secured our border. He halted construction of the border wall, ended the Remain in Mexico program, and restricted enforcement of Title 42 so much that barely anyone is being expelled. Couple that with limiting ICE’s ability to remove aliens from the country and hamstringing Border Patrol’s ability to do their job, he’s essentially rolled out the welcome mat for illegal aliens worldwide,” said Biggs. “Given their mission and statutory obligation to secure the nation against illegal immigration, I hope Commissioner Magnus and Acting Director Johnson will come speak with the caucus to answer questions and explain how they are working to address the concerns of the American people.”
“Our nation is in jeopardy because of the catastrophe happening on the southern border. We need immediate answers from CBP Commissioner Magnus and ICE Acting Director Johnson about what they’re doing to fulfill their oaths of office and secure our border. Our safety and sovereignty are at stake,” said Babin.
Last year, Biggs and Babin invited Secretary Mayorkas to meet with the caucus, but he has yet to accept the invitation.