Virginia's Mark Warner wants action on the border

Oct. 24—A Virginia Democrat is calling for increased border security to stop the flow of fentanyl into America.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner, D-Va., is calling on President Joe Biden to prioritize additional resources to strengthen security at the Southwest border in order to stop the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl through ports of entry.

Warner was joined by five other senators in making the request to Biden, including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.

The six senators are warning that overdose deaths, particularly among young people, are increasing across the United States. According to information provided by Warner's office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than 112,000 people died from a drug overdose between May 2022 and May 2023 with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids causing the vast majority of those overdoses.

Virginia was among 37 states in which accidental drug overdoses were the largest cause of death for people under 40 years of age in 2022.

"We have long supported increasing funding for comprehensive measures to enhance border enforcement, management and security," Warner, and the five other Democrats, wrote in a letter to Biden. "The situation at our border is complex, and it will take continued leadership and funding to stem the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl, smuggling, and transnational criminal organizations that operate along our border."

Warner is specifically pushing for additional U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and increased processing and screening capacity at ports of entry. He also wants to acquire non-invasive inspection technology to stop drug smugglers.

The letter from the six Democrats is significant because it is an official request from members of Biden's own political party. Area Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va. and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., have been vocal about the southern border in recent months, urging the administration to secure it.

Another Virginia Democrat, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, didn't immediately sign on to Warner's letter.

In the letter to Biden, the six Democrats argue that strengthening the border is a matter of national security.

"Strengthening our southwest border is not only vital to our national security, but also our public health," Warner and the five other senators said in the letter to Biden. "To achieve this, we must prioritize additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security for its critical border security operations, including funding construction and infrastructure improvements at our ports of entry. We also urge you to invest funding to hire additional CBP Officers, increase processing and screening capacity at ports of entry along the border, engage in a wide range of counter-drug activities, and acquire additional non-intrusive inspection technology to substantially increase the number of passenger cars and cargo that are scanned at the border. This border security technology will provide CBP Officers with more tools to support their mission and more frequently interdict fentanyl and other illicit drugs."

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens