Photos: Kaine Meets with Law Enforcement, International Partners in Texas to Discuss Fentanyl Interdiction at the Southern Border
WASHINGTON, D.C.—This week, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) traveled to Brownsville and McAllen, Texas to discuss fentanyl interdiction at the southern border with various law enforcement agencies and international partners from Mexico. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45. According to the Virginia Department of Health, nearly 1,800 Virginians died of a fentanyl overdose in 2023—down from nearly 2,000 in 2022, but still a deeply concerning increase from 50 fentanyl overdose deaths in Virginia in 2012.
“Fentanyl deaths in Virginia have decreased slightly, but there’s more work to do to keep our communities safe from this crisis. I’m fully committed to using every tool at our disposal to do so. I have pushed for several pieces of legislation to address fentanyl—including my bipartisan Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act, a significant portion of which was signed into law—and have fought for funding for better technologies to interdict drugs and other contraband,” said Kaine. “I came to the border this week to hear from law enforcement officers and other experts on the ground about how we can work together to keep tackling fentanyl, while promoting trade that benefits the U.S. economy. I will be bringing their insights back to Washington as I continue looking for bipartisan ways to help keep Virginians safe.”
Photos and b-roll of Kaine’s visit are available here.
First, Kaine visited the Brownsville Port of Entry to observe and discuss efforts to interdict fentanyl and other contraband. Kaine visited the Veterans International Bridge, which has large-scale inspection technology for commercial vehicles, and the Gateway International Bridge, a passenger and pedestrian entry. Then he met with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hear from these law enforcement agencies about their efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations. Kaine also met with Sister Norma Pimentel, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, who works to help ensure a more orderly and humane immigration process for migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kaine also met with U.S. Border Patrol in McAllen to discuss fentanyl interdiction efforts at the border between Ports of Entry, and with the Mexican Consul Generals in Brownsville and McAllen to discuss U.S.-Mexico cooperation to combat drug trafficking. As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, strengthening America’s relationships with our neighbors is one of Kaine’s top priorities, and he has led multiple trips to Central America to discuss shared regional challenges, including drug trafficking.
Last year, significant portions of Kaine’s bipartisan Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act were signed into law to direct increased federal attention to fentanyl trafficking and strengthen U.S.-Mexico cooperation on drug trafficking. Kaine also helped pass a supplemental national security funding package that included the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by Kaine, to strengthen the Treasury Department’s ability to sanction transnational criminal organizations and others that launder money to facilitate opioid trafficking.
Kaine recently voted to pass bipartisan legislation that would help secure the border and increase resources for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other law enforcement agencies combatting fentanyl, but the bill was blocked by Senate Republicans.
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