Sens. Ossoff, Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Human Smuggling Across Southern Border

In May, Sen. Ossoff met with U.S. law enforcement and national security officials along Southern Border to discuss increase in human smuggling

New bipartisan bill would strengthen Federal prosecution of human smugglers and help protect innocent victims

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Marsha Blackburn are introducing a bipartisan bill to crack down on human smuggling at our Southern Border.

Today, Sens. Ossoff and Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Border Smuggling Crackdown Act to strengthen Federal prosecution of human smugglers and protect innocent victims.

In recent years, Federal authorities have publicly reported a rise in kidnapping and extortion of migrants in U.S. border cities, as human smuggling across the border has evolved from a largely individually led enterprise to one controlled by large transnational criminal organizations.

The Department of Justice has reported that the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines (USSG) for those convicted of human smuggling crimes fail to address the scope of these tragedies, and that their shortcomings make it harder to prosecute smugglers caught at the border.

Sens. Ossoff and Blackburn's bipartisan Border Smuggling Crackdown Act would update sentencing guidelines to ensure penalties reflect the number of humans smuggled. Current Federal guidelines do not adequately account for the precise number of persons smuggled, instead allotting sentencing enhancements based on broad ranges of persons smuggled.

In addition, the new bipartisan bill would update sentencing guidelines to reflect the number of persons injured or murdered, as current guidelines do not account for each person who is injured or dies in a smuggling operation.

"Criminals and human traffickers who exploit and smuggle human beings across our Southern Border must pay a heavy price. They threaten our national security and exploit victims of trafficking," Sen. Ossoff said. "I'm introducing the Border Smuggling Crackdown Act with Senator Blackburn to empower Federal law enforcement in their fight against human trafficking at our Southern Border."

"Cartels at our southern border are trafficking and exploiting innocent men, women, and children every day," said Senator Blackburn. "Our bill would modernize federal sentencing law to better hold these human smugglers to account and ensure that sentencing for these crimes reflects every single person these criminals injure or murder."

In Fiscal Year 2023, there were 4,731 individuals sentenced for alien smuggling across the United States. This was a 675-person increase from FY22, and a 1,180-person increase from FY21.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to strengthen border security and crack down on human trafficking.

In June, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) urging them toprioritize resources toward supporting investigations and prosecutions targeting high-level narcotics and human smuggling operations necessary to stem the flow of illicit drugs, prevent human trafficking, and reduce the threat of terrorism at our southern border.

In June, Sens. Ossoff, John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ)introduced the bipartisan Detection Equipment and Technology Evaluation to Counter the Threat of (DETECT) Fentanyl and Xylazine Act to strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s capacity to detect, identify, and disrupt illicit substances being trafficked across the southernborder.

In May, Sen. Ossoff inspected the Paso del Norte port of entry, the area of operations for BorderPatrol's El Paso station, and detention facilities in Texas and New Mexico. He also met with U.S. law enforcement and national security officials and Mexican law enforcement officials in Juarez, Mexico, and warned of the threat of terrorism at the southern border.

This spring, the Sen. Ossoff-backed bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence(FEND) Off Fentanyl Act became law, which will sanction drug cartels and combat money laundering by the criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking.

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

Click here to read the Border Smuggling Crackdown Act.

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