The Biden administration's border policy has resulted in the increased flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the country, and it's killing Americans, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said on Newsmax Thursday.
"Citizens right here in my district are telling me about the devastation, the sheer devastation and death in these counties due to illegal fentanyl, illegal heroin, and methamphetamine just coming across the border, literally pouring across the border," the Tennessee Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "[We] had over 2,000 deaths just in Tennessee and 37,208 in the United States from fentanyl.We have put enormous resources in combating it yet it's pouring across the border."
The country had gone from a successful policy under former President Donald Trump, where border crossings were down and morale was up with border security officials, he added.
"People knew that if they came into this country illegally, they would be sent back," said Fleischmann. "They would be captured. Now they feel incentivized. The cartels, the criminals, the bad guys think that they can get away with this. Sadly right now they're right.
"We've got to stand up. Whether it's at the dinner table, in our communities, in our local courts. We've got to combat this. It's killing Americans and we've got to wake up Joe Biden, if that's possible, and say, Mr. President, you've taken this in the wrong direction. You've incentivized illegal immigration."
The border must be closed, the wall must be built, and the immigration policies that are the law of the land must be used to enforce security, said Fleischmann.
"We've got to, as Americans, come together and realize this is a crisis of major proportions," the congressman added.
Fleischmann also slammed what he called "flippant comments" coming from the Biden administration about serious situations, such as when press secretary Jen Psaki earlier this week claimed the shipping delay crisis has been solved.
"They are trying to sugarcoat the disaster that is out there," he said. "I asked them to do a major recalibration, to get back to economics 101 and get our energy sector working again to get the economy flowing again through common-sense pro-capitalist, pro-free enterprise policies. That's what will save this country — that and a good dose of prayer."
But, said Fleischmann, the administration is "just wandering, rudderless and confused."
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