That Homeland Security is having a hearing entitled combating Transnational Criminal Organization and turn over to our witnesses. Remember this subcommittee met with family members inside their communities that have lost a loved one to conventional. I criminal organizations. They have the written mexico and other places south of our southern border. We faced a lot of epidemics over the years. But this one is different and it requires a different more focused approach from this congress. Today were going to have the opportunity for a detailed discussion with officials from Homeland Security who play Critical Role in interrupting the flow of fentanyl into the United States. Specifically well talk about the cartels and gangs that deal death and trafficking firearms and drugs. Im from china produced for products laced with fentanyl. Largely happens in mexico Preparations Committee at large when you talk about here today. I released a set of suggestions yesterday the International Mail that more frantically provide the sellers to do the business. Today we are inspecting 40 of vehicles enter the United States. There is no reason we cannot jump that number to 60 or 65, 70 in the next fiscal year. We got taskforces federal partners to go after these cartels for go after this trade. We should fund that more of them. Third with got to understand this is a twoway street. Drugs come into this country but cash and guns question them exit rightly complains to mexico they are not doing enough to stop the drugs from coming into the United States. But mexico rightly complained to us we are not doing enough to stop the guns and the cash profits that move back into mexico. So look to increase the outbound inspections that we are doing to make sure we are catching more of the solicit profits and firearms before they make their way into the hands of the cartels. And lastly we could allocate more resources to help mexico start the precursor chemicals from getting to mexico in the first place. Bipartisan group of us went to meet with president lopez last month. He committed to us to partner with us in that work. The last two things to say are these and then else to turn it over to senator britt for opening comments. All of this investment stopping fentanyl from getting in the unit would be impossible under a last weeks House Republican votes. In their plan fy 24 funding for the department of Homeland Security would be cut by 22 two. We not talking about a single expansion the fight against fentanyl. The Budget Proposal from the house we cut funding at the border but would drastically cut funding for the very capacity right now are trying to fight fentanyl from coming into the United States for the final thing to say is this. Some folks on cable news you come to the conclusion every immigrant every asylumseekers is potentially a risk. There certainly an amount of fentanyl coming to the United States and in between our ports of entry, 98 95 of it is coming into the ports of entry. We need to have a conversation we comprehensively reform our system. That involves tough conversation about a silent reform putting more resources at the border its an element of this conversation. The fact of the matter is it is by and large not to the individuals who are sneaking in, in between the ports of entry there presenting themselves for asylum at the ports of entry that are bringing in the fentanyl. Its actually in vehicles and individuals we can do a much better job of stopping that traffic. Again im grateful to have a pretty full Committee Attendance today that is a signal of how interested we are as a body on both sides of the island having this conversation with you with that let me turn it over to senator britt for opening comment. Thank you, mr. Chairman for holding this hearing. Thank you to the witnesses to be a part of this conversation. Including that of children must be stopped. In particular customs and Border Protections with Field Operation immigration Customs EnforcementHomeland Security investigation. I would like to first address the issue of federal. Its devastating our communities across this great nation. It is now the leading cause of death for americans under the age of 45. More than 150 people die each day from an overdose related to fentanyl. At the current rate more americans will die in the next decade from fentanyl and combat deaths in all of the wars since americas founding. Yet mostly fentanyl killing americans is coming from abroad starting as precursor chemicals in china beef warping turned into the deadly drug by the Mexican Cartel and obtained from Internet Sources shipped via mail or smuggled across the border into the United States. Todays witnesses are subject Matter Experts on the interdiction of drugs and combating criminal organizations. Like the thousands of their colleagues the officers, agents and analysts who show up every day to work on the front lines, i want to say thank you. Ill be remiss if i did not know President Bidens lacks a coherent strategy worked woefully under funds both with manpower and others entering this country a set of Field Operations interdicted 12500 pounds of fentanyl at the ports of entry. Just halfway through fy 23 at that level of interdiction has already been surpassed. In one or 50 new officers 20000 officers who staff the ports of entry each day. While the president s budget request funding for additional inspection equipment at the border given how quickly the Transnational Criminal Organizations adapt, the deployment of this technology and other types of technology being used that has to be strategic. Has to be thoughtful. It has to be coherence. The bulk of fentanyl is large living brought to the ports of entry the amounts being seized between ports of entry is also alarming. All of fy 22, 2200 pounds received by Border Patrol agents in between the ports of entry. That is enough to kill every Single Person in america. Theyve already seized 1400 pounds through march of fy 23. Including 264 pounds in january, 381 pounds in february. 531 pounds in march. This is 85 of the total amount seized in just the last three months. Similar to the great work done by cbp we have seen time and time again hsis work is critical to our nations effort to interdict drugs including the 21000 pounds of fentanyl season fy 22. Weve already visited these amounts halfway through 2023. This begs a question. What happened 42 goes away by thousand acre daily encounters that are average by Border Patrol agents by tones ministration will likely double . The answer is we are likely to see more of fentanyl being brought in which will lead to more american deaths but also more deaths of migrants trying to buy their way into the United States by smuggling forth the drug cartels. The reality is President Biden knew this when he formulated his Budget Proposal for fy 24. His administration notified congress on generate 26 the Public Health emergency and title 42 usage would end on may 11. Yet on march 9 the present release of budget request that proposed cutting length security based budget by 1 . That Budget Proposal inadequately funds efforts to combat fentanyl, secure the border, strongly enforced our nations existing immigration laws. This is deeply irresponsible and is a direct disservice to incredible men and women on the ground working to protect and serve our nation each and every day. This hearing is not just about fentanyl for its about the Transnational Criminal Organizations not just drugs but in people, vulnerable men, women and children who often pay it with their lives like the 53 migrants who died after being stuffed in a tractortrailer just last year. Smuggling people across the border that the cartel 13 billion a year. Hsi works to bring down the Transnational Criminal Organizations. These cartels need to be brought to justice. Fy 24 president s budget for hsi calls for just 22 new positions. An increase of less than one half of 1 to combat Human Trafficking, child exploitation, counter fentanyl and investigate cyber crimes. Similar to the worsening conditions we are likely to confront fentanyl title 42 goes away. Im sure the cartels are busy planning on how to take advantage of what is sure to be an even more chaotic situation and continuing to profit from Human Trafficking. They cartels are replaced they operate with near impunity and mexico. They are wellfinanced, well organized and well connected. There are certainly differences among this committee on how to handle the crisis at the border, there surely in agreement that something must be done. To help them stop them one more man assaulting one more woman or sexually trafficking one more child are killing one more person. Cbp and ice to great work there is no doubt used to be done to stop the illegal flow of drugs across our border to ensure cbp and ice there is a crisis even if this administration refuses to admit that. Thank you again mr. Chairman and our witnesses i look forward to robust discussion today. Thinking introduce our witnesses and would ask you to provide testament the order of introduction right versus james who is a Deputy Assistant commissioner of intelligence and analysis. Then diane the deputy executive assistant commissioner for the opposite Field Operations at cbp. Finally mark is the assistant director for countering transnational crime at the Homeland Security investigations team. Who all three of you. We ask you give your testimony in five minutes or less for the full statements will be submitted for the record. Sherman murphy, vice chair called, Ranking Member brett to see which norms of the subcommittee p thank you for the opportunity to testify today of the dangers of criminal organizations the types of activities involved and then attacked the cbp Mission Every day. Illicit activities groups include smuggling of narcotics, weapons, cubans and Financial Crimes pose a significant evergrowing threat to our nation and the direct impact these groups operate across the world, based out of mexico some i will briefly discuss today. Posing a direct danger such as the cbp mission. Mexico based tcos and follow the control of drugs in the u. S. Oversee wellestablished logistical supply chains and maintain partnerships of criminal organizations in the u. S. To allow for product dissemination. In fiscal year 2020 more than 500,000 pounds of hard narcotics more than 76 million in illicit currency joint to activity. There are number of tcos operating throughout mexico behind those seizures, groups are able to exploit the lucrative smuggling corridors throughout the country. While it is nearly impossible to break out the exact proceeds in criminal activity, the scale of illicit activities conducted by this group easily yields tens of billions of dollars each year. The most profitable activity for these is narcotics sales, they become more diversified over the past decade into other illegal operations such as human smuggling intertwined themselves legitimate businesses to write additional revenue streams. Found a novel ways for every aspect of daily life including sectors often overlooked in agriculture, theft, Timber Harvesting the fishing industry. It is important to note they are not oneway operators and heavily reliant on their ability to move goods from the u. S. Into mexico specifically firearms, from illicit activity. The two largest and mexico been dominant in these spaces for the past two years is similar cartel and new generation cj ng. Still cartels one of the largest and oldest most established in mexico but they are believed to have operational strongholds two thirds of all mexican states with a heavy presence along the u. S. Border in Baja California cartel is a higher central hierarchy with fourth educational structure of the vertical hierarchy directed by form of Mexican Police officer from control the groups activities. Targeting security services, rapidly expanding since its emergence in 2010 strongholds over two thirds of mexican states is singers just south of texas. Both of these groups profit significant sales of agriculture hair wet and cocaine both unable to adapt into new market such as synthetic narcotics like methamphetamine and fentanyl but both groups of proven quite successful sectors to increase their Profit Margins and offset potential losses and changes in customer demand. Despite the removal some leadership control over large territories in mexico expanding into smuggling corridors along the u. S. Border. An inside mexico access to narcotics in precursors but evolution has been a key to success for the tc is in mexico. As mentioned previously mexican based have drastically increased human smuggling from the initial stages collection for a few parts per migrant to get more involved fullscale migrant facilitation sector worth billions of dollars each year. These have all shown their ability to rapidly evolve alongside technology from the use of secure communication platforms, to the use of drones for surveillance drug smuggling attack purposes in mexico to the use of crypto currency for many movements to first Money Laundering. Most notably is the groups ability to rapidly respond to changes in the drug environment such as legalization of marijuana decrease demand for heroin in the u. S. Marketplace. Mexico have been able to quickly pivot from agricultural base drugs to synthetics narcotics to maximize Profit Margins. The focus on synthetics allow these groups to produce narcotics without needing to control large swaths of territory in mexico they are no longer subject to weather conditions they are allowed to produce yearround industrial level production. Further highlight the resume to these groups that quickly they adapted to enforcement changes remove access to pencil in 2019 put almost immediately began acquiring this i think sentinel themselves effectively allowing them to on the supply chain without interruption. The evolution of these groups are required to become more Proactive TechnologyData Intelligence driven organizations utilizing professionals to secure our borders drive operational outcomes break your competence of collection mechanism Counter Network analysis and exploitation of Geospatial Intelligence maximize operational outcomes and officer safety praise become more forwardly each day. I thank you for your time here so your investment intelligence both rational some unfortunate questions you may have. Sherman murphy, vice chair collins Ranking Member members of the subcommittee thank you for the opportunity to appear to discuss u. S. Captains and Border Protection efforts to combat the dynamic threat of Transnational Criminal Organizations, and prevent the entry of dangerous illicit drugs including benton alternations ports of entry. Im really proud to represent 30,000 dedicated frontline personnel cbps office of Field Operations commonly referred to as o fo. Who worked tirelessly everyday to protect our border, our homeland and our communities. I appreciate the subcommittees unwavering support of our mission and for ensuring we have the personal, the technology of the resources needed to conduct our complex and Challenging Border security responsibilities. Sentinels are ports of entry top 13000 pounds. Through this fiscal year for just last month fentanyl seizures for the entire Previous Fiscal Year of 2022 were exceeded. However efforts and actions to encounter drugs do not begin or end up ports of entry. Multilayered and targeted our efforts are driven by intelligence and analysis. Intelligence specialists National Targeting Center or local analytical teams advance information, intelligence and Predictive Analytics of potential highrisk shipments, cargo and travelers before they reach our borders. Or building or interdiction capabilities we continue to focus also on modernizing and automating our processes to legitimate travel and trade is that will allow our resources to focus on the threats as they evolve. Relieving our frontline personnel of administrative work such as manual data entry or paperbased transaction, gives them the opportunity to do what they do best which is to talk to people and determine an increase situational awareness. The technology cbp offic