Boise, Idaho – Governor Brad Little joined Idaho State Police personnel today in recapping his recent trip to Eagle Pass, Texas, and reinforced a simple fact – the CARTELS, not the American government, currently control access into our country.

“Our border is practically wide open, and guess who loves it? The cartels. They are raking in BILLIONS of dollars a year off of our open border,” Governor Little said.

Governor Little, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and 12 other Republican Governors received a detailed briefing at the border on Sunday and held a unified press conference to show a call on President Joe Biden to take immediate action to secure the border.

Over 7 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the border in the past three years, and 1.7 million immigrants who “got away” from Customs and Border Patrol in the same time period. Governor Little said just last year, the DEA seized enough fentanyl laced pills to kill every single man, woman, and child in the United States, plus more.

Governor Little detailed what he has learned after multiple trips to the border since he took office – that the cartels are running a multifaceted attack.

“The cartels purposefully overwhelm Border Patrol agents with illegal crossers in one area as a distraction, so they can smuggle people, drugs, and weapons across in other areas. And once they’re in, the illegal immigrants with ties to the cartels set up elaborate Drug Trafficking Organizations to distribute drugs throughout the United States, including Idaho,” Governor Little said.

The Mexico drug cartels are responsible for the fentanyl supply in our region. They mass produce fentanyl in powder and pill form from precursor chemicals imported from China, primarily. They are also the source of other drugs in our region, including meth, heroin, and cocaine.

“And how do we know the drugs are making it across the open border? Because of the significance of how many drugs our law enforcement officers are seizing in the interior of the United States and the overwhelming amount of overdose deaths,” Governor Little said.

In just a decade, thousands of Idahoans have died from drug overdoses, and with each passing year, overdose deaths increase in number. In just two years, from 2020 to 2022, Idaho saw a 33-percent increase in all drug overdose deaths, and in just one year, from 2021 to 2022, Idaho saw a 24-percent increase in overdose deaths involving fentanyl. Emergency departments see more than 5,000 visits related to overdose in a single year.

“We simply must do more, as a country, to secure the border and get a handle on this crisis. Yes, Congress has a requirement to act, but there is a lot the President can do through executive order RIGHT NOW,” Governor Little added.

Governor Little pointed out that Republican Governors have called upon President Biden to take immediate action for three straight years and bring back former President Donald Trump’s border policies immediately to protect America, restore security, and put us on a path to end the crisis at the southern border.

“At Eagle Pass, Texas, where I traveled a few days ago, illegal crossings went from 3,000 per day to THREE per day AFTER Governor Abbott implemented enhanced efforts to secure the border. Not only do these actions work to curb illegal crossings, but they send an important signal – we are telling the cartels and people across the world that they cannot come here unfettered. They MUST go through a process to get into our country. That is not happening right now under this Administration,” Governor Little said.

While Americans wait for action at the federal level, Republican Governors are stepping up to help with a solution. Governor Little announced he is sending another round of Idaho State Police troopers to the border to help Texas Department of Public Safety catch people, drugs, and weapons coming across illegally. They will train with Texas DPS on the latest tactics related to drug trafficking and human trafficking. When they return, they will instruct and mentor their law enforcement counterparts – both state and local – on how to be more effective in combatting drug and human smuggling.