Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, U.S. Customs and Border Protection law enforcement officers are the first line of defense in preventing the illicit flow of drugs and contraband from entering our country. I walked the border with my brothers and sisters of the thin blue line, and I have seen what CBP is up against. I can tell you firsthand that our cartel adversaries are ruthless and steadfast in their determination to exploit our laws and poison our communities. Transnational drug traffickers operate like a business, always looking to capitalize on products high in demand and high with profit margin. Today, their focus is fentanyl, a drug 100 times more powerful than morphine. Just 2 milligrams are enough to be lethal. Fentanyl and its analogs are being produced mostly in China, but also increasingly in Mexico. Illicit opioids enter the United States through the mail, concealed within vehicles or cargo coming through the ports of entry, and in backpacks of cartel drug runners. Initially, Chinese drug traffickers were so confident that fentanyl would not be interdicted they sent stacks of it through the mail. The CBP improved, their targeting improved, and cartels were forced to change their approach, sending smaller quantities and rerouting packages through freight forwarders and other countries to mask their point of origin.…”