U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) announced that his amendment, which permits the targeting of "affiliates of cartels" and narco-traffickers under the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), has been passed in the House. This statement was made public through a press release on April 12.
"It is insane that we have not been able to use FISA to target the affiliates of cartels, such as bankers, accountants, and others who help operate their business,” Crenshaw said. "This amendment corrects that mistake. Make no mistake, the cartels are a multi-billion dollar business that traffic in fentanyl and other illicit drugs. They are a national security threat, and this amendment will help to dismantle the cartels."
According to a press release from Crenshaw, his amendment is based on the Enhancing Intelligence Collection on Foreign Drug Traffickers Act of 2024 and has been approved by the House of Representatives. The amendment seeks to include international narcotics trafficking within the FISA definition, thereby qualifying it as "foreign intelligence information."
As per the current stipulations detailed in the press release, individuals can be targeted if they fall under one of three categories of foreign intelligence information. These categories encompass foreign governments and related entities, counterterrorism, and combating proliferation.
The proposed law would authorize FISA to establish a new certification aimed at international fentanyl production, distribution, and financing, as stated in the press release. The term "foreign intelligence information" within FISA would be revised to incorporate "international production, distribution, or financing of illicit synthetic drugs, opioids, cocaine, or other drugs driving overdose deaths, or precursors of any aforementioned."
In a post on X platform attributed to Crenshaw, he also highlighted that there are strong ties between the Chinese Government and Mexican Cartels in terms of illegal substance production as well as transport and smuggling. "My recent amendment that passed gives our law enforcement agencies enhanced tools to target the cartels and the Chinese suppliers that are poisoning thousands of Americans every year with deadly fentanyl," said Crenshaw.
Crenshaw was elected to represent Texas's Second Congressional District in 2018 according to information available on his website. He currently serves on both the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence while contributing to subcommittees for Central Intelligence Agency and National Intelligence Enterprise.
