New Mexico Congressman introduces bill for more border security dollars

New Mexico Rep. Gabe Vasquez is pushing for more federal dollars to increase screening technology at U.S. borders and staffing in Customs and Border Protection in an effort to reduce the amount of fentanyl traveling north across the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Fentanyl-related overdoses are responsible for 70,000 deaths in this year alone,” Vasquez said. “It is critical that Customs and Border Protection has the personnel, the technology and the resources necessary to prevent these deadly substances from entering the United States.”

In 2023, fentanyl accounted for the bulk of the 107,543 estimated overdose deaths in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention . Fentanyl caused an estimated 74,702 of those deaths, down from an estimated 76,226 deaths in 2022. The overall number of overdose deaths decreased from 2022 to 2023 by 3% — the first annual decrease in drug overdose deaths since 2018, according to the CDC.

Vasquez, along with Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon and Democratic Rep. Eric Sorenson of Illinois, introduced the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act in the House Thursday. The bill would appropriate $5.3 billion for border security, hiring new Customs and Border Patrol officers, and purchasing new technology for border screenings.

The legislation would also increase penalties for destroying or evading borders controls.

New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján introduced the same bill in the Senate in January with cosponsors Bob Casey, (D-Penn.), and Mark Kelly, (D-Ariz.).

“The flow of fentanyl into New Mexico and the United States has devastated countless families and our communities,” Luján said. “Congress must take this crisis seriously, which is why I introduced the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act. I’m glad that Congressman Vasquez recently introduced this legislation in the House. We must use every tool at our disposal to hold criminals accountable and put an end to the fentanyl crisis.”

The Senate bill has been referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

The new technology that Vasquez would like to see further implemented at the border is for nonintrusive vehicle inspections and emits a type of X-ray that allows vehicles to be scanned, Vasquez said. The technology is already in use at the Santa Teresa port of entry and allows the U.S. to increase how much commercial cargo CBP is able to inspect and speeds up the inspection process, Vasquez said.

The U.S. needs to hire more Customs and Border Patrol officers, Vasquez said.

“Folks are working in some often very desolate areas. They are underpaid for working in some very tough and oftentimes very hot conditions. ... When we talk about the understaffing, it’s a chronic issue that we’ve had for many years,” Vasquez said. “There’s more challenges that we need to do to fix that, and it’s not just pay, it’s also different incentives we can give to those folks who choose to work in those rural posts.”

Fentanyl and border security have also been a concern for New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who cosponsored two bipartisan bills in June with a similar goal of increasing border security at ports of entry: the Securing America’s Ports of Entry Act would require CBP to hire at least 600 more officers annually until the agency is fully staffed; and the Non-Intrusive Inspection Improvement Act would increase the use of nonintrusive inspection systems with specific targets for how much commercial and noncommercial traffic that CBP would need to scan.

Cathy Cook is a news reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. Reach her via email at ccook@abqjournal.com