A bill to target fentanyl trafficking at the southern border has cleared the U.S. Senate.
The DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and other lawmakers, is intended to strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s ability to detect fentanyl and xylazine at ports of entry and impede drugs from crossing the border.
Ossoff introduced the bill in June, alongside Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ). If signed into law, the new legislation could require the DHS Science and Technology Directorate to research and develop technologies that better detect drug trafficking across the border with Mexico.
Since passing the Senate, the bill will now head to the U.S. House of Representatives for a final vote.
“Illegal fentanyl trafficking is devastating Georgia families and putting our kids at risk,” Ossoff said. “We brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass this bill that will strengthen detection and prevention of fentanyl trafficking.”
Cornyn spoke to the need for the U.S. to act to intercept the drug before it enters the country. In a statement, she emphasized the danger of fentanyl, which has killed over a quarter million Americans since 2018.
“Fentanyl is an unyielding silent killer that lurks in the shadows of our communities, and we must assist law enforcement in rooting it out and stop the loss of more innocent lives,” Cornyn said. “This legislation will ensure our brave men and women in uniform have every available tool to safely identify these deadly drugs and help put a stop to this devastating epidemic, and I encourage the House of Representatives to take action and send this important bill to the president’s desk.”
Between FY 2020 and FY 2023, officials say the amount of fentanyl seized at the southern border increased by 480%. In 2023, CBP seized 400,000 pounds of non-marijuana drugs, including 1,142,859 doses of fentanyl that were seized by the Atlanta Field Office alone.
