DEA calls southwest border 'major entry point' for cartels amid push to stop spread of fentanyl

Drug Enforcement Administration officials acknowledged Tuesday that the southwest border was a “major entry point” for cartels while announcing an initiative that aims to curb the flow of fentanyl.

"While a major entry point for fentanyl is the Southwest border, the cartels are spreading their poison into communities across the Nation," DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans said in a statement. "Through this initiative, we’re tackling a very real public health, public safety, and national security threat, identifying the most egregious street-level networks in our communities and working our way up through the supply chain." The operation was announced amid scrutiny of the Biden administration’s handling of a mounting crisis at the southern border. GOP lawmakers have argued that the Biden administration's reversal of Trump-era immigration policies has placed further strain on overwhelmed facilities and allowed cartels to exploit weaknesses at the border. In March, Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., the ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said cartels were "masterfully" exploiting the southern border due to the Biden administration’s policies. In response the Biden administration has argued that former President Donald Trump neglected the situation at the border and oversaw policies that were ineffective and inhumane.