The migrant crisis has carried with it several deleterious issues for the country, one of which is the terrifying increase in overdose deaths due to fentanyl. New data confirms what many suspect about the rate of deaths the opioid has caused: Most of those who ingest the drug are not aware that they are ingesting it. This has led to tens of thousands of overdose deaths, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the Biden administration is still unable – or unwilling – to address the problem:

More than 80% of New Yorkers who inject drugs test positive for the opioid fentanyl, despite only 18% reporting using it intentionally, according to a new study by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, suggest that many people who inject drugs are unknowingly using fentanyl, which may increase their risk for overdose and potentially their tolerance to fentanyl if it is used over time.

In 2021, more than 100,000 people died of a drug overdose in the United States, with 66% of these deaths involving illicit fentanyl—a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine

Much of the fentanyl being consumed by unsuspecting Americans is being trafficked by Mexican drug cartels over the southern border. These entities have been taking advantage of the ongoing migrant crisis to smuggle the opioid into the country, where it is laced into common street drugs like heroin, methamphetamine, and even marijuana.

Overdose deaths are already a serious issue. But the problem becomes even more pronounced after acknowledging that foreign entities are essentially poisoning Americans. This is nothing short of wholesale murder being carried out by Mexican drug cartels with the help of Chinese manufacturers who help to supply them. Unfortunately, these tragic deaths will persist as long as the Biden administration continues to allow this problem to persist.

Border authorities along with other federal law enforcement organizations have been doing their best to prevent the proliferation of the opioid into communities across the country. The Drug Enforcement Agency announced that it seized over 379 million deadly fentanyl doses in 2022. But how much more have traffickers been able to get into the country without being caught?

Unfortunately, the Biden administration still seems flummoxed when it comes to dealing with this issue. Having reversed most of former President Donald Trump’s border policies, the president and his team have struggled to find other ways to address the problem. With border authorities stretched thin due to the constant influx of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, it has been difficult to stop traffickers from smuggling fentanyl into the country.

Republicans in Congress have called on the White House to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, which would allow the government to do more to stop these bad actors from continuing to murder Americans by poisoning them with fentanyl. So far, the White House has not made any real moves in this direction nor has it taken serious action to curb the activities of the cartels. The president has also done little to deal with the Chinese Communist Party, which has assisted the cartels in manufacturing the opioid before it is smuggled into the United States. The harsh reality is that this will likely be the state of things until there is another president in the White House who is willing to take this issue seriously.