08/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/16/2024 14:59
Dear Friend,
Last year, we lost more than 110,000 Americans to overdose deaths. Here in New Mexico, we have the 6th highest rate of drug overdose deaths in the entire country. I refuse to accept this reality, and it's why I'm working to deliver tools law enforcement personnel need to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets and out of our communities.
VIDEO: Heinrich, Vasquez tout new border tech, investments, KOB, August 13, 2024.
Earlier this week, I joined Congressman Gabe Vasquez to tour the Santa Teresa Port of Entry to discuss how $400 million we secured for new, state-of-the-art inspection technologies for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is helping law enforcement personnel crack down on fentanyl trafficking and strengthen border security.
This funding, which we announced in March, is helping CBP improve the detection and seizure of fentanyl and other narcotics, stopping deadly drugs before they ever cross our borders.
We also visited the New Mexico High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program to receive a briefing on interdiction efforts and highlight our work to tackle the fentanyl crisis. This includes my work to pass the historic FEND Off Fentanyl Act into law, the more than $1 million we secured for local law enforcement to detect illicit fentanyl, and legislation I authored to require the DEA to establish a nationwide fentanyl tracking system.
Too many politicians use border security and the fentanyl crisis as a political talking point. But I remain focused on passing the policy solutions that will save lives and delivering the tools law enforcement need to stop the flow of these deadly drugs into our communities.
Sincerely,