Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., on Wednesday announced a new bill to help border officials catch drug trafficking at crossings, The Washington Times reports.
Lankford's legislation would introduce a new position, image adjudicators, to help Customs and Border Protection review and analyze images of cargo for potential drugs, which CBP officials could then search.
"Border law enforcement have asked for support to analyze cargo images in real time, so they can focus on the person-to-person contact that enables them to catch criminals," Lankford said in a statement. "Adding these positions makes sure cargo can be thoroughly inspected for illegal drugs, guns, and human smuggling at our border."
Lankford, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's border management subcommittee, said that the bill is nonpartisan and is supported by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich.
While seizures of most drugs at the border have fallen, fentanyl seizures have spiked with 17,500 pounds seized so far this year, well above the total seized at the border last year, 11,800 pounds.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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