The House Homeland Security Committee Majority released a report titled, "Crisis By Design: A Comprehensive Look at the Biden-Harris Administration’s Unprecedented Border Crisis," which said that cartels have control of the border. The report was published on September 18.

According to the report, Americans have witnessed "national security, public safety, and humanitarian disaster" at the southern border. It states that 10.2 million illegal aliens have entered the country in the last four years under the current administration. The report notes there are "roughly" two million gotaways, where Customs and Border Protection was unable to detain individuals. Cartels control the smuggling routes for migrants who are attempting to make their way up Mexico and into the U.S.; everyone must pay the cartels before crossing.

The report also highlights that cartels have extensive networks operating in all 50 states. It states that cartels have expanded their operations primarily into human smuggling, charging migrants anywhere from $6,000 to $60,000 for crossing. Border Patrol resources are used for administrative purposes, processing the migrants who cross, which leaves sections of the border open for cartels to traffic drugs across.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment, "thousands of Sinaloa and Jalisco cartel-linked drug dealers in the United States bring illicit fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other drugs into American communities every day." Once in the U.S., "a web of illicit drug wholesalers," or "smaller branches of the cartels," distribute the drugs into U.S. communities. The 2024 DEA National Drug Threat Assessment names fentanyl as the deadliest drug in American history.

U.S. Rep. Mark Green is Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, according to its website. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson is the Ranking Member.