Senate candidate calls on Biden to Extend Title 42
Athens, Ohio: Following up on their recent visit to the United States Border with Mexico, U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dolan and members of Ohio law enforcement visited and toured BuckEye Cam today. For more than a decade, BuckEye’s cameras, technology and technicians have provided unmanned wireless systems that are deployed across hundreds of miles of the U.S. border with Mexico to assist state and federal authorities with tracking illegal immigration and Mexican drug cartels.
“Today’s visit to BuckEye Cam once again reinforces the obvious fact that Ohioans stand on the front lines of the current immigration crisis confronting the nation. Under the reckless policies of the Biden Administration, state and even some federal authorities are being left to fend for themselves. They’re pleading for increased support merely to do their job and protect the safety of the American people. Joe Biden is not upholding his oath. He’s not doing what’s required to defend America. Alongside dedicated members of Ohio law enforcement, I have witnessed first-hand how the open border impacts everyday life in Ohio, and how this technology has been deployed to counter the surge in drug and human trafficking that is occurring in record numbers since Joe Biden took office. That’s why today I’m calling on the Biden Administration to extend Title 42, designate the China-backed cartels as foreign terrorists and take the necessary steps with infrastructure, civilian and military personnel to stop the flow of human trafficking and fentanyl into the country, save American lives and restore our nation’s sovereignty,” said Matt Dolan.
Dolan was joined at BuckEye Cam on Friday by Hancock County Sheriff Mike Heldman, Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, retired U.S. Border Patrol Assistant Chief Greg Lambert, and the managerial leadership of BuckEye Cam.
In April, Dolan joined Ohio sheriffs on the border to get an on-the-ground briefing about the current security crisis confronting local, state and federal authorities. Together, with Lake County Sheriff Frank Leonbruno and Union County Sheriff Malcum “Jamie” Patton, Dolan received a policy briefing, SABRE border tour and Cochise County Sheriff’s Office ride along inside the Tucson Sector, one of the busiest sectors of the country in both illegal alien apprehension and narcotic seizures.
Background
In February 2023, more than 80 pounds of fentanyl were seized in Cleveland and Painsville, Ohio, making it one of the largest busts in state history. The fentanyl had a street value of $5.2 million and was enough to kill 20 million people, if ingested. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the drugs were supplied by a nationwide distribution network based out of Mexico. The FBI, State, and local partners including the Lake County Sheriff’s office, took part in the operation which also yielded the arrest of two of the organization’s operatives and seized four firearms, including two assault rifles.
In a December interview with NBC News, Senator Sherrod Brown said, “I don’t hear a lot about immigration from voters except from people on the far-right.” Customs and Border Protection data from November of 2022 showed 233,740 migrants were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, the highest November total in history and a 332% increase from the November apprehensions during the Trump administration. More than 13,000 of the apprehended migrants were unaccompanied children.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, approximately 76 percent of overdose deaths in Ohio are caused by fentanyl that is coming from China to Mexico and over the border into the United States. That percentage was up from 73 percent in 2018, 71 percent in 2017, and 58 percent in 2016.
In 2021, there was a record amount of fentanyl seizures on our southern border. In some locations, the U.S. Border Patrol, is seeing a 4,000% increase in fentanyl seizures over the last three years.
In July 2021, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that he would dispatch the Ohio Army National Guard to Texas to assist federal operations at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Also in July 2021, it was announced that Ohio would be sending Ohio Highway Patrol to supplement the National Guard presence on the southern border.
The following outlines Senator Matt Dolan’s work to in the State Senate to urge action on securing the border and address the present fentanyl and human trafficking crises impacting Ohio.
- Dolan voted to designate the Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
- Dolan voted to urge the federal government to increase efforts to protect our border to combat drug and human smuggling in the United States.
- Dolan increased penalties for drug trafficking and some other drug offenses when the drug involved is a fentanyl-related compound.
- Dolan voted to define “fentanyl-related compound” as including fentanyl and other related Schedule I and Schedule II narcotics-opiates.
- Dolan fought and helped to provide $180 million in additional funding for the opiate crisis, on top of the nearly $1 billion already spent by the state annually on drug abuse and addiction.
- Dolan helped to stablish opioid abuse prevention programs for educators and school personnel for all content areas and grade levels.
- Dolan voted for nonviolent offenders to receive competency evaluations in outpatient settings, ensuring state psychiatric hospital beds remain available for Ohioans suffering from serious mental illness.
- Dolan voted for enhanced penalties for drug traffickers who sell on the premises or near addiction service providers.
