Nassau Standard

Congressman Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04) has announced the House passage of his latest legislation, H.R. 8146, also known as the "Police Our Border Act". This legislation mandates that the Department of Justice compile a report for Congress detailing the impact of the border crisis on law enforcement agencies across the country.

The bill is designed to quantify the effects of an ever-expanding crisis and to provide Congress with a clear understanding of where best to allocate future resources. “The ongoing crisis at America’s southern border disproportionately impacts the brave men and women of law enforcement who are forced to clean up the mess caused by President Biden’s failure to secure our nation,” said D’Esposito. He added that it is crucial for Congress to have a clear picture of the burden placed on law enforcement agencies across the United States due to what he termed as President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas's dereliction of duty.

D'Esposito’s "Police Our Border Act" includes several key indicators that the Justice Department would be required to measure in American law enforcement agencies. These include exposure of law enforcement personnel to harmful narcotics being smuggled into the United States, such as fentanyl; estimated costs incurred by law enforcement agencies in addressing illegal immigration; extent to which resources for tackling migrant crisis are currently unavailable; number of injuries sustained by law enforcement personnel tied to border security violations; and overall morale among law enforcement personnel dealing with additional duties because of migrant/narcotics smuggling crisis.

Under President Biden’s administration, there has been a marked increase in known migrant "gotaways" who successfully evaded understaffed federal border patrol agents. In fiscal year 2023, federal border security authorities reported 670,674 known migrant "gotaways", marking a steep increase from 136,808 reported in fiscal year 2020.

Security failures at America’s southern border have also coincided with a significant increase in the amount of fentanyl being detected and seized by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) personnel. According to the DEA, seizures of fentanyl are at a record level and seizures of fentanyl powder have doubled over the last two years. In 2023 alone, the DEA seized over 29,000 pounds of fentanyl and more than 79 million fentanyl pills – almost triple the amount that was seized in 2021.

“It is clear to all Americans that the security situation at America’s southern border is in disarray and that there must be a complete overhaul,” said D’Esposito. He urged his Senate colleagues to pass this legislation as a demonstration of their commitment to securing the nation's borders.