Senator Ossoff is pressuring the Biden administration to crack down on human and drug trafficking at the southern border

Last week, from the southern border, Senator Ossoff warned again of the threat of terrorism without bipartisan border security legislation

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is urging the Biden administration to prioritize prosecuting drug traffickers and human smugglers.

Today, Senator Ossoff initiated an investigation into the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) urging them to prioritize supporting investigations and prosecutions targeting high-level narcotics and human trafficking operations necessary to stem the flow of illicit counter drugs, prevent human trafficking, and reduce the threat of terrorism at our southern border.

“Human trafficking is both a threat to national security and a humanitarian catastrophe. Traffickers transport people who pose a security threat as well as desperate migrants in cramped and dangerously overcrowded boats or vehicles, often with limited ventilation or access to basic necessities.” Senator Ossoff wrote to Attorney General Garland.

“Powerful criminal organizations are exploiting vulnerabilities in our border security to facilitate the flow of narcotics into the United States, fueling addiction, contributing to violent crime, and undermining the safety and well-being of our communities.” Senator Ossoff continued. “It is imperative that we deploy all the resources necessary to dismantle these criminal networks operating in and through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. By doing this, we can stem the flow of illegal drugs into our communities, prevent the exploitation of innocent individuals by human traffickers, and reduce the threat of terrorism at our southern border.”

In 2022, dozens of migrants were found dead in a sweltering truck in San Antonio in one of the deadliest cases of migrant smuggling in U.S. history. At least eight people were killed last year when two migrant smuggling boats capsized amid rough surf and heavy fog off the California coast.

Senator Ossoff continues to sound the alarm about the terrorism risks associated with the southern border and the dangers of drug and human trafficking.

This week Sens. Ossoff, John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) the bipartisan Evaluation of detection equipment and technology to counter the threat of (DETECTION) Fentanyl and Xylazine Act strengthening the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) capacity to detect, identify, and disrupt illicit substances trafficked across the southern border.

Last week, Senator Ossoff again warned from the southern border about the threat of terrorism without bipartisan border security legislation, and last month Senator Ossoff delivered a Senate speech warning of a “serious national security risk” if the bipartisan border security bill was blocked. Senate Republicans later blocked consideration of the bill.

Last month, Senator Ossoff supported bipartisan support Fentanyl eradication and narcotics deterrence (FEND) Get rid of the Fentanyl law became a law, which will punish drug cartels and combat money laundering by the criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking.

In April, Senator Ossoff’s bipartisanship Child Trafficking Prevention Act of 2024 with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Senate passed to strengthen coordination between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent child trafficking.

In March, Senator Ossoff raised concerns with FBI Director Christopher Wray at a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about the threat that terrorism related to illegal entry through the southern border poses to U.S. national security.

Click here to read Senator Ossoff’s investigation into the DOJ.

# # #