Trump has claimed Fentanyl overdoses kill 300,000 people a year, which he said is “probably much higher,” while The upcoming “Border Czar” Tom Homan Accused In an interview with Fox News this week Mexican cartels “A quarter of a million Americans have been killed with fentanyl.”
Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl have become the leading cause of this. Overdose deaths Since 2016, devastating communities and causing a major public health challenge across the United States, National Institutes of Health. Authorities say Mexican cartels are the main source of fentanyl manufactured in the United States.
However, Trump and Homan both cite inflated figures, and Trump often makes a misleading connection between illegal border crossings and the flow of fentanyl.
According to Data According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 334,000 people in the US have died from drug overdoses containing synthetic opioids. such as fentanylOver a period of about 10 years from 2013 to 2022. As of July, the latest from the CDC Temporary data More than 73,000 fentanyl overdose deaths were recorded in 2023.
More than 86 percent of those convicted of fentanyl trafficking during fiscal year 2023 were U.S. citizens. US Sentencing Commission. The researchers to say Drug trafficking organizations hire US citizens because they are less scrutinized.
Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
The fentanyl crisis
FentanylThe synthetic opioid approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as a pain reliever and sedative is about 50 times more potent than heroin. Drug Enforcement Administration. It is often mixed with heroin and other substances and is found in pills that mimic prescription drugs such as oxycodone, the agency said.
Mexican cartels China is the primary supplier of manufactured fentanyl that is distributed in the United States of precursor chemicals And pill presses cartels use to manufacture drugs, according to a report released in May DEA.
Department of Homeland Security found That by December 2023, more than 90% of fentanyl has been intercepted at ports of entry, which are designated areas where people can enter the country legally.
Customs and Border Protection Analyzed the data The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, found that 80 percent of people caught with fentanyl at ports of entry from 2019 to 2024 were U.S. citizens.
An analysis of CDC data shows that opioid overdose deaths rose 56 percent year-over-year in 2020, and then another 22 percent in 2021 when most immigrants had Crossing the border was prohibited. Title 42measuring an epidemic period.
Combating drug trafficking across borders
Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum Trump has emphasized against. Addressing immigration and drug consumption in the U.S. through tariffs, committing to self-retaliation.
CBP Reported recorded fentanyl seizures in 2023 and 2024 and launched Operation Plaza Spike in April, a multi-agency effort targeting Mexican cartels and their logistics hubs to stop fentanyl trafficking.
Drug policy experts say it can be difficult to stop all drugs from being brought across the border.
“We want to make it difficult for criminal organizations to run their business, but we have to be realistic about how difficult it will be to make it truly impossible,” said Dr. Jonathan Caulkins, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information. Systems and Public Policy. “Fentanyl is so extraordinarily potent that it can be sold in very small amounts for very high amounts.”
According to Culkins, stopping the flow of counterfeit drugs is also difficult because traffickers can easily replace any drugs that are lost.
“If we prioritize attacking the most violent and corrupt organizations, we can reduce the harm that the entire drug supply chain creates in the case of fentanyl coming into the country. It’s also worth the effort to limit the total amount,” Calkins said.