Fentanyl

Border Patrol lost 1,900 agents to resignations in 2025. Meanwhile, cartels are recruiting veterans at $50K sign-on bonuses. This is not a recruitment failure. It is a policy signal.

CBP encountered 178,000 illegal crossings in April 2026. That is down from the 250,000 peak but still triple pre-2021 levels. And somehow this is not the lead story on every network.

Border Patrol seized 847 pounds of fentanyl in April alone. Agents in the field tell me the surge is not letting up.

Mexican cartels are adjusting strategy in response to Trump's FTO designations and military pressure. For the first time in a generation, cartel commanders fear American retaliation. That's progress, but only if Washington holds the line.

Former DEA acting administrator Jack Riley, 30 years watching cartel violence, says he's never seen a turf war this intense. When the most experienced man in the room says that, another round of congressional hearings is not the answer.

When both sides of the aisle clap, it usually means the politics are easy and the policy details are being ignored. The cartel crisis deserves more than applause.