newYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
A body hanging under an underpass. Government agencies systematically accepted bribes. Dozens of political candidates were assassinated. Teenage boys were lured to “vocational centers'' only to be tortured and killed. The police ambushed and executed him.
This is not a description of what it was like to fight terrorists overseas. It is a harsh and tragic reality of life in Mexico today.
The crisis spread beyond Mexico. Fentanyl trafficked into our country by Mexican drug cartels and their Chinese partners kills approximately 80,000 Americans a year. That's the equivalent of 25 9/11 terrorist attacks each year. This reality led me to work with then-Chairman Kevin McCarthy to create a task force to fight cartels.
Police officers at the scene of a vehicle set on fire by members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel after one of its leaders was captured in Zapopan, Mexico, August 9, 2022. Inset: Fentanyl tablet. (Reuters)
What exactly are Congressional task forces?While they vary in size and scope, task forces are typically groups of members focused on a specific issue. We had no additional staff or resources, only a common goal.
US imposes sanctions on Mexican drug cartel Jalisco over fentanyl trafficking
Despite very limited resources, I personally visited 8 domestic locations, went on 3 international trips, including 2 visits to Mexico City, and attended almost 30 information sessions. , and led a task force that developed a comprehensive list of legislative proposals.
Our solutions varied in size and scope. In 2023, I worked with Congressman Mike Walz, President Trump's next national security adviser, to implement the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Cartels (AUMF), which would authorize the U.S. military to work with Mexico against cartels. ) was introduced.
Our bipartisan task force largely agreed on the need for such “big” ideas to significantly increase military cooperation with Mexico and combat cartels. We also recognize that our nation's laws do not adequately deter fentanyl trafficking, and we believe that our laws do not sufficiently deter fentanyl trafficking, and that we are targeting cartel members and their intermediaries, including local drug dealers, U.S. banks, and foreign governments, who participate in their activities. We worked to enact legislation that would significantly increase penalties.
'The most ruthless' Mexican cartel operates in 50 states, creating turf wars: DEA
In addition to addressing northbound flows, we recognized the need to disrupt cartels' arms supplies by focusing on southbound illicit flows across our southern border. It turns out that penalties against fentanyl precursor suppliers who illegally ship products to the United States are just a slap in the face, and therefore heavier penalties are needed to deter Chinese companies from falsifying shipping manifests.
These are just some of the solutions needed to combat Mexican cartels. But if Congress is serious about President Trump's pledge to fight cartels, it will need to significantly increase its firepower. It will require professional staff, travel and research budgets, and significantly more focus from Congress than my limited task force can currently provide to pass legislation.
It takes a select committee to take down Mexico's drug cartels.
Majority believes President Trump will 'regulate illegal immigration': poll
What's the difference?
Combating Mexico's drug cartels requires dismantling every aspect of their operations, from Chinese fentanyl precursor suppliers to the fake manifests used to smuggle cargo into the United States. This means targeting the precursor mixers, pill crushers, traffickers, lawyers, corrupt politicians, and bankers who sustain cartel operations.
That means building the right capabilities within the Mexican government and strengthening collaboration between our military and the Mexican military. That means increased intelligence gathering on cartels that require funding and authorization. The list goes on.
For more FOX News opinions, click here
What at first glance seems like a straightforward legal solution quickly turns into a complex web of measures spanning more than nine committees and an incredibly inefficient way to deal with border insurgency. It becomes.
The Special Committee to Combat the Mexican Drug Cartels will serve as the central coordination hub for this multifaceted crisis, which means one committee with jurisdiction. Rather than considering bills through committees with overlapping jurisdictions, select committees can streamline the process and provide significant savings, similar to what the Select Committee on China accomplished with the sale of the TikTok CCP in the last Congress. This will allow for the rapid introduction of new bills to the floor.
Ignoring Mexican cartels is not an option. Another year of preventable fentanyl overdoses in America is an unacceptable future, no matter which side of the aisle you are on.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The timing is right, as both the United States and Mexico have new governments, each with a track record of taking decisive action against cartels. The only question now is whether the House will step up and take the lead. That's why I'm calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to support my proposal to create a task force to take down Mexican drug cartels.
Now is the time to eliminate them.
Click here to read more from our representatives. Dan Crenshaw
