Mexico should do something about fentanyl smuggling, Trump demands. Okay, but about the DEA? They are paid to keep drugs from coming in. How are they and other feds doing in that regard?
- Federal officials estimate they are only able to seize 5-10 percent of all fentanyl smuggled across the Southwest border.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimated in 2021 that they intercepted only about 3% of cocaine trafficked through official ports of entry, which may be indicative of detection rates for other drugs like fentanyl.
- Customs and Border Protection (CBP) estimates that it caught just 2% of cocaine at southwest land ports of entry in 2020, the only drug for which they provided an analysis.
- Currently, fewer than 5% of personal vehicles crossing the border are X-rayed for contraband.
Mexico has a projected GDP this year of $1.8 trillion. The U.S. has a GDP of $27.7 trillion. Yet Trump demands that his much poorer neighbor do the job America cannot.
Ricardo Chavira Chicano 