NEWS: Sens. Ossoff, Cornyn’s Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Fentanyl Trafficking at Southern Border Passes Senate

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff's bipartisan bill to crack down on fentanyl trafficking at the Southern Border has passed the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Ossoff's bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act passed the U.S. Senate to strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s capacity to detect fentanyl and xylazine at ports of entry and better prevent it from crossing the border.

The bipartisan bill, which Sen. Ossoff introduced in June alongside Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), would require the DHS Science and Technology Directorate to research and develop technologies that better detect drug trafficking across the southern border.

The bill will now head to the full U.S. House of Representatives for a final vote.

"Illegal fentanyl trafficking is devastating Georgia families and putting our kids at risk," said Sen. Ossoff. "We brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass this bill that will strengthen detection and prevention of fentanyl trafficking."

"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," said Sen. Cornyn. "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, 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.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to secure the Southern Border and protect Georgia families from drug trafficking.

Last month, 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 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.

In April, Sen. Ossoff helped pass the bipartisan Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act through the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to strengthen border security by providing additional CBP officers to scan cargo for illegal drugs and guns or human smuggling.

In March, 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.

Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Deploy Fentanyl Scanners Act of 2024 to help deploy scanners at ports of entry to better identify contraband, including fentanyl, being smuggled across the border through personal vehicles.

In 2022, Sen. Ossoff's bipartisan Rural Opioid Abuse Prevention Act was signed into law to help rural communities experiencing high rates of opioid overdoses respond to the crisis.

Click here to read the bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act.

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