Sen. Steve Daines blasts Biden, Democrats on southern border problem, fentanyl crisis

Speaking on the KAAR-FM morning show today, Montana Senator Steve Daines blasted the Biden administration's open border policies and tied the influx of illegal drugs, primary fentanyl, to an "out of control" southern border as well as influence from Mexican cartels. "As Montanans know, the Southern border is out of control," Daines told KAAR-FM Morning Show host Tom O'Neill.   "Despite Vice President Kamala Harris saying that the Southern border is secure, the truth of the matter is it's out of control.  Border encounters reached the highest levels ever recorded in our nation's history this year, over two million in the fiscal year.  We've never seen numbers like this."  Daines blamed the record number directly on the White House.  "They're flooding across the border because of President Biden and the Democrats policies that promote this open border," Daines added.

The folks who are making a whole bunch of money from this are the Mexican cartels. - Senator Steve Daines on KAAR-FM

Daines pointed out that many illegal immigrants are being charged by Mexican drug cartels in assistance in crossing the border, after which they declare amnesty and are told they must come back for a hearing to adjudicate their amnesty claim.  The problem is that the backlog right now is 8 years.  "Do you think they're going to show up for that?  No.  It's called "catch and release".  That's the policy right now from the Biden administration and that's why we have a crisis."

Daines said that the huge number of illegal crossings has made it all the easier for cartels to get illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanly into the United States but noted that some drugs, such as fentanyl, get their origins overseas.

"The chemicals originate in China.  They are sent to Mexico.  The Mexican cartels the fentanyl in some of their clandestine manufacturing operations, then they are shipped across the southern border and they get up to Montana within 48 to 72 hours after they cross the Rio Grande river."

What is the solution?

"The solution is not that complicated," Daines told O'Neill.  "Remember when President Trump was in office, the border situation was in a very, very different condition, much better.  Two things.  One, you've got to keep building the wall.  You talk to border patrol agents, they will tell you that walls work.  It helps them reduce illegal crossing from 70 to 90 percent.  That's just common sense.  Number two, Biden's reversal of a policy that was in place under the Trump Administration, a policy that he reversed on the day he was sworn in back in January of '21 is the single biggest reason for this crisis.  And what he did is he basically said  if you want to declare amnesty, you come across the border, throw up your hands and you get to remain in the United States versus remaining in Mexico before your case is adjudicated."  He noted that Trump had a "remain in Mexico" policy which allowed immigrants to declare amnesty but required them to remain in Mexico until adjudication.   "That stopped these false amnesty claims, it just about dried it up when he did that.  With Biden, now, these amnesty claims are flooding our courts and like I said, it's an 8-year backlog of amnesty claims in Texas."