“Fentanyl comes through legal ports of entry, not between them. Blaming the border crisis for fentanyl deaths is just xenophobia disguised as concern.”
Most fentanyl seized happens at ports of entry because that's where detection infrastructure exists. But cartels exploit the entire border — and the overwhelming flow of people at the border strains resources that could focus on drug interdiction. An unsecured border is objectively a fentanyl delivery system.
Key Talking Points
- 1Over 112,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2023 — fentanyl involved in approximately 70% of deaths
- 2Seizure data reflects where detection exists, not where all fentanyl crosses — between-port areas have minimal detection infrastructure
- 3Cartels use the migrant flow to overwhelm Border Patrol, diverting agents from drug interdiction to processing 2M+ encounters
- 4Former DEA Administrator testified that the same cartels control both human smuggling and fentanyl trafficking
The Full Response
The claim that fentanyl is solely a ports-of-entry issue — and therefore border security is irrelevant — relies on a misleading interpretation of seizure data and ignores the operational reality of border enforcement.
It is true that the majority of fentanyl seizures occur at legal ports of entry. CBP data for fiscal year 2023 shows that approximately 73% of fentanyl seizures occurred at ports of entry. However, this statistic reflects where we have detection capability, not where all fentanyl crosses. Ports of entry have X-ray machines, drug-sniffing dogs, and inspection protocols. Between ports of entry, there is relatively little detection infrastructure across nearly 2,000 miles of border. Using seizure data alone to determine trafficking routes is like concluding that most drunk drivers are on roads with checkpoints.
The operational connection between illegal immigration and drug trafficking is direct. Former DEA Administrator Anne Milgram testified before Congress that Mexican cartels — primarily the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel — control both human smuggling and fentanyl trafficking across the border. They use the massive flow of migrants between ports of entry to overwhelm Border Patrol, diverting agents from drug interdiction to migrant processing. In FY 2023, Border Patrol encountered over 2 million migrants — each encounter requiring processing time that is not spent on drug detection.
The scale of the fentanyl crisis is staggering. Over 112,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2023, with fentanyl involved in approximately 70% of those deaths. That's more Americans killed annually than in the entire Vietnam War. DEA seizures in 2023 included enough fentanyl to kill every American multiple times over.
The supply chain is overwhelmingly Mexican cartel-driven. Precursor chemicals are sourced primarily from China, shipped to Mexico, synthesized into fentanyl by cartel operations, and then smuggled into the United States through multiple vectors — ports of entry, between ports, through tunnels, by drones, and via maritime routes.
Border security alone won't solve the fentanyl crisis — demand reduction, treatment, and international pressure on China and Mexico are all necessary. But dismissing border security as irrelevant to fentanyl ignores operational reality. A border that cannot be controlled is a border that cannot interdict drugs, regardless of which specific point they cross.
How to Say It
Focus on the operational connection between border overwhelm and reduced drug interdiction capacity. The 112,000 annual deaths statistic is powerful — more than Vietnam. Avoid anti-immigrant rhetoric; keep the focus on cartels and policy.
Sources — The Receipts
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