The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently conducted a hearing focusing on the repercussions of the Biden administration's border policies, which have facilitated the infiltration of violent cartels into rural tribal communities well beyond the Southern border of the United States.
Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) expressed deep concerns about the situation, stating, “Joe Biden’s open border policies have had detrimental effects on Indian country, with drugs and cartels infiltrating these communities at an alarming rate.” Gosar highlighted the consequences of the influx of illicit substances and criminal elements, leading to heightened substance abuse, addiction, and violence within these tribal lands.
President Joe Biden's immigration strategies have inadvertently turned every community into a border community, allowing illegal migrants and criminals to spread throughout the nation. International criminal cartels have seized the opportunity presented by the administration's weak border policies to traffic illegal drugs and individuals across the porous U.S./Mexico border.
The open-border approach under the Biden administration has been attributed to a historic crisis at the Southern border, enabling criminal cartels to thrive and expand their operations across the country. Exploiting the border situation, these cartels are trafficking dangerous substances like fentanyl and methamphetamine into the United States. Moreover, the cartels have specifically targeted Indian Country in states far from the Southern border, such as Montana and Wyoming, due to factors like higher drug prices, vast rural and unpatrolled lands, and jurisdictional complexities that impede law enforcement responses.
The ongoing crisis has resulted in increased overdose deaths and organized crime activities as cartels solidify their presence in Indian Country. The Subcommittee's hearing provided a platform for tribal leaders to address the gravity of the situation, discuss potential solutions, and shed light on the urgent need to address this catastrophic scenario that threatens the sovereignty and autonomy of Indigenous communities.
For more information on this critical issue, further updates and potential solutions were discussed during the Oversight and Investigations hearing.
