WATCH NOW
Stream the movie right here, right now.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS
Buckle down and power up with this series of shocking scenarios and check out the 8-minute exclusive first look available here for your viewing pleasure.
Grid Down Power Up
Tag: Texas
ALL DEMOCRAT’s on the committee are PULLING OUT of the FIELD HEARING about the BORDER CRISIS in Texas on Wednesday
BREAKING: House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep Mark Green tells us he has just learned all Democrats on the committee are pulling out from attending a field hearing about the border crisis in Texas on Wednesday. He says that’s despite several Dems confirming attendance, & inviting their own minority witness, who is confirmed on the federal panel.
US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz is also set to testify. Chairman Green says he was given no reason for the abrupt pullout. Chairman Green’s statement below. #FoxNews
Homeland Security committee Dems confirm that they will not be attending the border hearing
They say that they never agreed to attend in the first place so they are not “pulling out.”
It’s time America takes ACTION! SPEAK UP!
Call: Rep Mark Green’s office 202-224-3121 (Capitol switchboard)
Speak to the staff of ranking committee chair, this gets your message to him directly…. otherwise, our voices are diluted 🇺🇸
STATEMENT from Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D):
“After careful consideration, Committee Democrats have decided not to participate in the Republicans’ field hearing this week. Unfortunately, it has become clear that Republicans planned to politicize this event from the start, breaking with the Committee’s proud history of bipartisanship. Instead of a fact-finding mission to develop better border security and immigration policies, Republicans are traveling to the border to attack the Administration and try to score political points with their extreme rhetoric – despite having voted against the resources border personnel need. Committee Democrats are in regular contact with Department leadership and stakeholders on the ground and will be taking substantive site visits to the border – including as soon as this week.”
The Biden Border plan is to shift illegal immigration from mass numbers of illegal aliens rushing the border to paroling or releasing those same illegal aliens into the United States with employment authorization and access to welfare, preparing the illegals for eventual de facto or legislative amnesty. The legislative amnesty is off the table with the Republican House, but the de facto amnesty remains in play.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Imagine it! All this is allowed by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas.
The Biden Regime Administrative Amnesty hangs by a thread, though. The numbers of illegal aliens continue to increase, the parole or catch-and-release amnesty has been declared illegal by a Federal District Court judge in Florida, so the only way for the Biden Regime to survive the border crisis is to lie.
The Luge press’s is only too happy to run cover for the lies. Just a few days ago the Lying Press, Associated Press in this case, touted that the numbers of border crossers is down significantly, as if the announcements of the parole amnesty convinced millions of illegal aliens enroute through Central America or flying into Mexico from Africa, Asia, and South America to just return home and try and use the app to enter, rather than try their luck at the border. Actually, luck has nothing to do with it; coyotes who work for the cartels have guaranteed entry to the United States, no matter how many attempts it takes.
A sharp drop in illegal border crossings since December could blunt a Republican point of attack against President Joe Biden as the Democratic leader moves to reshape a broken asylum system that has dogged him and his predecessors.
A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows some support for changing the number of immigrants and asylum-seekers allowed into the country. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say the level of immigration and asylum-seekers should be lowered, while about 2 in 10 say they should be higher, according to the poll. About a third want the numbers to remain the same.
The decrease in border crossings followed Biden’s announcement in early January that Mexico would take back Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans under a pandemic-era rule that denies migrants the right to seek asylum as part of an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the same time, the U.S. agreed to admit up to 30,000 a month of those four nationalities on humanitarian parole if they apply online, enter at an airport and find a financial sponsor.
[Plunge In Border Crossings Could Blunt GOP Attack On Biden, by Elliot Spagat, AP, March 7, 2023]
Instead, the reality is that the Fiscal Year 2023 is heading to break the record of illegal immigration from the last two fiscal years, when over 5 million illegal aliens entered or attempted to enter the United States, with most being released into the United States.
Migrant encounters at the southern border have already surpassed the one million mark for Fiscal Year 2023, multiple Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources tell Fox News, marking an unprecedented pace for encounters.
As of Friday, the total migrant encounters at the border were at 1,008,217 for the fiscal year, which began in October. Of those, 87.8% were single adults. Just 328,454 were expelled under Title 42 — the pandemic-era protocol that allows border agents to rapidly expel border crossers.
There were more than 1.7 million encounters overall in FY 2021 and over 2.3 million in FY 2022. The first months of FY 2023 have outpaced those of the prior fiscal year. This time last year, numbers for FY22 through March 1 were 839,819—well under the 1 million mark.
Meanwhile, there have been 354,522 known “gotaways”—illegal immigrants who have evaded Border Patrol agents but have been detected on another form of surveillance. In FY 2022, there were nearly 600,000 gotaways.
[Migrant Encounters At Southern Border Hit 1,000,000 Mark For FY 2023, Outpacing Prior Year: Sources, by Adam Shaw, Fox News, February 25, 2023]
One may argue that the last few days have educated the illegal aliens and the numbers are dropping. But sadly for the Biden Regime and the Lying Press, reality has struck, and badly. Illegal aliens for whom the CBP One app is not available or not working have decided they are coming in, by hook or by crook, but mostly by violence. In fact, they are reverting to the common tactic that appeared during the early Clinton Regime, rushing the Ports-of-Entry (POE), the facilities where pedestrians and motor vehicles enter the United States from Mexico. Such tactics began in the 90s, but occasionally happened more recently as well under the Obama Regime and the Trump Administration.
As crews remove contaminated soil and liquid from Ohio toxic train wreck site, concerns emerge about where it’s going | CNN
The hazardous waste that has already been sent to Michigan and Texas is being processed, EPA regional administrator Debra Shore said Sunday.
About 2 million gallons of firefighting water from the train derailment site were expected to be disposed in Harris County, Texas, with about half a million gallons already there, the county’s chief executive said last week.
House GOP committees plot investigations into East Palestine derailment
In Michigan, contaminated soil from the derailment site was taken to the US Ecology Wayne Disposal in Belleville, Michigan, US Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said.— Read on www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-monday
Convention of States Texas – Events – COSAction
Convention of States Texas – Events
Texas TeamUp CalendarConvention of States
Meet & GreetsJoin us at one of our monthly meetings around the state and learn about how to get involved at the local level to make a change for our nation. Or, if there is not a monthly meeting near you, become a District Captain. We provide all the training.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: COS Meeting – Protecting Texas Children
When: March 10, 6pm to 8pm
Where: Barbwire Halo Church, 6761 SH-154 W, Gilmer, TX 75644
Contact: Shelby ChamberlainGuest Speaker: Sarah Jessica Fields M.S. from the Texas Freedom Coalition, will talk about SEL Programs, Invasion of Parental Rights, Explicit Material used to Indoctrinate Children, Texas Education Code that protects possible criminals and pedophiles.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: COS HD-17 Monthly Lunch Meeting
When: Tuesday, March 14th, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Schroeder’s Place, 29875 West Highway 79 Thorndale, TX 76577Meet, Greet & Eat lunch with fellow liberty minded Texans! Schroeder’s has been in business since 1947 and they specialize in Burgers, Chips and Drinks.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Collin Community Action Meeting
When: March 16, 2023, at 6:30 PM
Where: Schimelpfenig Library, 5024 Custer Rd, Plano, TX*Our guest speaker will be Erika Hatfield, our COS Texas State Director. Download Erika’s bio here
*We will prepare for the March 27 legislative day in Austin.
*We will be advocating to remove the Texas COS sunset clause via HJR35 and SJR36 as well as to end tax payer funded lobbying learn more: RSVP Here
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: COS HD-17 Monthly Lunch Meeting
When: Tuesday, April 11th, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: Kreuz Market, 619 N Colorado St., Lockhart, TX 78644Buy yourself some famous Lockhart BBQ and join us in the big dining hall.
*We will have a speaker from Texas Scorecard. Texas Scorecard Directory
And you never know who else might drop by…we love our surprise guests.
Join the Texas Capitol Brigade!
Join us at the State Capitol for key legislative events in the next session.
*We will have members of the Capitol Brigade team in Austin every week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to help you and accompany you to visit legislators.
Our goal in this legislative session is to remove the Sunset clause (HJR 35 and SJR 36).
For more information on preparing for visiting your legislator, and information about the Sunset clause, go here.
Sign up to let the Capitol Brigade know when you’ll be in Austin. The Capitol Brigade will help you with your visit!
The State Capitol is our central location. To help you with your next visit to the Capitol in Austin, go to our Capitol information page here
For more information contact Cyndie Philllips.
When: Every Tuesday
Where: Texas State Capitol, 1100 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
What: Meet with Convention of States leaders Henry Bohnert and Richard Bohnert, take a tour, meet your legislators (we will help you if needed).When: Every Wednesday
Where: Texas State Capitol, 1100 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
What: Meet with Convention of States leaders Cyndie Phillips, Dawn Bednarz and Paul Gastineau, take a tour, meet your legislators (we will help you if needed).When: Every Thursday
Where: Texas State Capitol, 1100 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
What: Meet with Convention of States leaders Terri Swisher and Deborah Farris, take a tour, meet your legislators (we will help you if needed).🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
When: Monday March 27th, all day
Where: Texas State Capitol, 1100 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704Purpose: Convention of States Legislative Day!
*COSers will congregate from across the state in the Texas Capitol in Austin TX.
*We will have several speakers, including Mark Meckler and legislators!
*We will be visiting with our legislators to talk about COS and the importance of passing HJR 35 and SJR 36 to remove the sunset provision from the COS resolution.
For the agenda and more information go here.
Carpool: Sign up here
A bus is available from Nort h Texas, sign up here.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Meet us at Gun Show
Do you have a Gun Show in your area that you would like for us to attend? Would you like to volunteer at a Gun Show? Sign up here and let us know.
▄︻デ═══一҉
What: Southfork Ranch Gun & Knife Show
Where: 3700 Hogge Drive, Parker, TX 75002
When: Feb 25 – 26, 2023
Come see us at the gun show! Or help us work the booth, telling people how a Convention of States can help protect our liberty. (If you volunteer, admission to the gun show is free!)
More information: tom.wbartel@cosaction.com
Sign up to help:🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Convention of States
Speaker SeriesConvention of States speakers travel to you. If you are interested in a speaker, please contact us. Topics include
*Convention of States Presentation
*Convention of States “Passed States” Presentation
*Convention of States – Myth Busters
*Shared Sovereignty and the Supreme Court
*Precinct Chair Development
*Election Worker Development
*School Board Development
*Texas LegislationWhat: Upshur County Republican Women
When: Feb 24, 6pm to 8pm
Where: Barbwire Halo Church, 6761 SH-154 W, Gilmer, TX 75644John van Compernolle Speaking about Federal Overreach and Convention of States (Article V of the U.S. Constitution) as being the answer.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Sweetgrass Republicans
When: Feb 23, 6pm – 8pm
Where: Sweetgrass Clubhouse, 707 Del Webb Blvd., Richmond, TX, 77469John van Compernolle Speaking about Federal Overreach and Convention of States (Article V of the U.S. Constitution) as being the answer.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Fayette County GOP
When: March 11, 9am – 12pm
Where: Frisch Auf Valley Country Club, 575 Country Club Dr., La Grange TXJohn van Compernolle Speaking about Federal Overreach and Convention of States (Article V of the U.S. Constitution) as being the answer.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Grand Prairie Republicans
When: April 3
Where: TBD
John van Compernolle Speaking about Federal Overreach and Convention of States (Article V of the U.S. Constitution) as being the answer.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Bastrop Republicans
When: April 4
Where: TBD
John van Compernolle Speaking about Federal Overreach and Convention of States (Article V of the U.S. Constitution) as being the answer.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Mason County Republican Women
When: Oct 18, 11:30am
Where: Eckert Civic Center, 1024 McKinley Ave, Mason, Texas 76857John van Compernolle Speaking about Federal Overreach and Convention of States (Article V of the U.S. Constitution) as being the answer.
It’s parade time!
To be a part of the Parade Team or to request the COS float to attend your parade, please contact: Regional Captain Henry Bohnert 979-549-7757What: Chisholm Trail Roundup, Lockhart, TX
When: 2nd week of June
Where: Come and walk or ride with the COS float. The Parade will start at 10am and attracts around 150 entrees from many surrounding communities throughout Central Texas.Precinct Chair Connection
Precinct Chair: “The Most Powerful Office in America”. As self-governing citizens, many Convention of States supporters are becoming Precinct Chairs.For more information, contact Debra Damman, Precinct Chair Coalition Director Debra.Damman@cosaction.com
SAVE THE DATES:
Upcoming Training around Texas: Registration Details coming soon🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: The Power of the Precinct Chair
When: Feb 25th, 12:00 pm- 5:00 pm
Where: Herby Ham Activity Center (behind Oasis Outback)
248 FM Rd 3447
Sponsor: Rhonda Vigil, 830.275.2380
Contact: Art Brown🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Legislative Training
When: Feb 28th, 6:00 pm- 9:00 pm
Where: Grandys, 3201 Texoma Pkwy, Sherman, TX
Contact: Tom Bartel🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Power of the Precinct Chair
When: Mar 11th, 9:00 pm- 4:30 pm
Where: Barbwire Halo Cowboy Church, 6761 SH 154 W. Gilmer, TX
Contact: De’ Borah Deaz
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What: Understanding the Legislative Process & Using Databases
When: March 25th, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm (bring a sack lunch)
Where: San Antonio area, TX (Location TBA soon!)
Trainer: Naomi Narvaiz
Contact: Richard Bohnert
Election Action Coalition
We are building a team of skilled election activists and are looking for Election Action Coalition Captains for each county and or Senate District. There are plenty of actions we can take before, during and after elections that can help secure the elections process.For more information, contact Elizabeth Baron, Election Action Coalition Director Elizabeth.Baron@cosaction.com
Please be sure to check out:
Convention of States Texas Voter Guide
Convention of States Texas Election Prayer Guide
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Education Action Coalition
We are building a team of skilled SBOE/School Board activists and are looking for Education Action Coalition Captains for each Independent School District. Contact Erika Hatfield, State Director.The SBOE (State Board of Education) is required to meet at least quarterly. Meetings are held in the William B. Travis State Office Building, which houses the Texas Education Agency, at 1701 North Congress Ave. in Austin. Each meeting, except for executive sessions restricted by law to specific topics, is open to the public. Anyone who wants to testify in front of the board must submit a public testimony registration form.
Upcoming Meetings
April 11-14, 2023 (SBOE regular meeting
April 13, 2023 (Meeting of the Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation)June 20-23, 2023
August 29-September 1, 2023
November 14-17, 2023
SHARE Convention of States Texas – EventS
— Read on conventionofstates.com/tx-events
Biden admin pressured Dem El Paso mayor not to declare state of emergency over city’s migrant crisis
The White House pressured the Democratic mayor of El Paso, Texas, to not declare a state of emergency over the city’s migrant crisis due to fear it would make President Biden look bad, The Post has learned.
At least three of the El Paso City Council’s eight members have urged Mayor Oscar Leeser to issue an emergency declaration in response to the thousands of migrants who’ve filled the city’s shelters and are being housed in local hotels, sources familiar with the matter said.
But Leeser admitted during a private phone conversation last month that he’d been directed otherwise by the Biden administration, one of the officials told The Post.
“He told me the White House asked him not to,” Council member Claudia Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez also said Leeser has repeatedly assured her that he’d declare a state of emergency “if things got worse” — without saying what that meant.
US Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), whose district covers rural areas and border towns near El Paso, also said he heard similar accounts from other city officials.
“It is a sleight of hand what the administration is doing — pressuring the local government to not issue a declaration of emergency, to say as if everything is going OK,” he said.
Gonzales also alleged that the White House has done “the same thing in other parts of my district,” which have also seen huge numbers of migrants seeking refuge.
Leeser declined to speak with The Post but said in a prepared statement, “I don’t bow to pressure from any side.”
New York Post
“I make decisions based on current circumstances and in the best interest of the citizens of El Paso,” the statement said.
Leeser also praised the federal government for providing his city with “critical” assistance.
New York Post
Congressman Tony Gonzalez
At a Sept. 27 City Council meeting, Mayor Leeser also addressed the issue, saying Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) had urged him not to declare a State of Emergency, adding: “The White House has asked, at this point, for us not to do that and they’ll continue to work with us and continue to give us … money through [the] Federal Emergency Management Agency.”
Figures posted on El Paso’s official website show the city has received only $2 million in federal reimbursements toward the $8 million it has spent dealing with the migrant crisis.
The total cost could end up being much more, with ElPasomatters.org reporting in September the city was spending as much as $300,000 a day to shelter, feed and transport asylum-seeking immigrants.
In May, The Post first reported how officials in El Paso were considering declaring a state of emergency ahead of the expected ending of pandemic-related expulsions of border-crossers under Title 42 of the federal Public Health Services Act.
The move would have made the city and county eligible for state and federal funding to open additional shelters for housing migrants.
But the following day, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said that “the mayor and I backed off,” telling The Post that “we found out that there’s very little difference between the funding we’re getting now and the funding that we would get if it went up to the governor and the governor sent it to President Biden.”
At the time, about 700 migrants a day were arriving in El Paso.
But that number topped 2,100 a day last week before dropping down to around 1,600 a day, according to the latest information posted Monday on the city’s website.
Between April and mid-September more than 62,000 migrants had crossed the border at El Paso alone.
El Paso has relocated more than 10,000 migrants by bus to New York City since August, with Lesser revealing at a public meeting last month that he got a green light to do so from Mayor Eric Adams.
The front cover of the New York Post for Oct. 18, 2022.
Adams has denied that assertion and publicly called on Leeser to end the program earlier this month, saying “New York cannot accommodate the number of buses that we have coming here to our city.”
The Oct. 7 appeal came the same day Hizzoner declared a state of emergency in the Big Apple over its migrant crisis.
But the buses have continued rolling to the city from El Paso, most recently on Sunday.
Leeser has said that most of the migrants flooding El Paso come from Venezuela.
In recent days, migrants have been able to simply walk across the dried-up Rio Grande, surrender to US Customs and Border Protection officials and get released after saying they intend to seek political asylum.
Last week, the US and Mexican governments announced a deal under which Venezuelans who cross into the US would be sent back to Mexico.
But border sources told The Post that the agreement was only being enforced in a small number of cases.
The White House didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
What’s All This Fuss About Snake Venom??
Stew Peters and Dr. Ardis discuss conclusions Dr. Ardis’s conclusion that Covid-19 most likely came from the King Cobra /Chinese red headed Crepes.
WORLD PREMIERE: WATCH THE WATER – TRUMP ALWAYS GAVE YOU FREEDOM OF CHOICE
Situation Update
April 14, 2022
Video – WORLD PREMIERE: WATCH THE WATER – TRUMP ALWAYS GAVE YOU FREEDOM OF CHOICE: https://rumble.com/v10x9dt-world-premiere-watch-the-water-trump-always-gave-you-freedom-of-choice.html
FULL VIDEO: https://rumble.com/v10uh1l-situation-update-41322-venomtech-company-announces-massive-library….html
For more Situation Updates: https://rumble.com/c/SituationUpdate
WATCH: Connecting the CIA TO COBRA VENOM!!!!!!!! 1975 NY TIMES ARTICLE: https://rumble.com/v10zb8z-ny-times-1975-publication-cia-using-cobra-venom
Dr. Ardis Live Q&A: COVID, Snake Venom, and Our Water Supply
Man in America April 14, 2022
Dr. Ardis’ website: https://thedrardisshow.com/
After Dr. Ardis’ bombshell interview with Stew Peters, everyone wants to know—is he crazy, a heroic whistleblower, or just a humble man trying to share the COVID science he uncovered? Is there any truth to the claims that snake venom and COVID are linked? Today, Seth gives you the chance to ask Dr. Ardis your questions for yourself. Join us for a live Q&A
WATCH: https://rumble.com/v10yvn1-dr.-ardis-live-q-and-a-covid-snake-venom-and-our-water-supply.html
FOR MORE VIDEOS And Interviews with DR. Ardis about SNAKE VENOM, go here
States look for solutions as U.S. fentanyl deaths keep rising
States look for solutions as U.S. fentanyl deaths keep rising
by: GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press
Posted: Apr 5, 2022 / 12:34 AM CDT
Updated: Apr 5, 2022 / 12:50 AM CDT
Source
https://www.borderreport.com/news/national/states-look-for-solutions-as-u-s-fentanyl-deaths-keep-rising/
As the addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the U.S. for two decades turns even deadlier, state governments are scrambling for ways to stem the destruction wrought by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
In statehouses across the country, lawmakers have been considering and adopting laws on two fronts: reducing the risk to users and increasing the penalties for dealing fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. Meanwhile, Republican state attorneys general are calling for more federal action, while some GOP governors are deploying National Guard units with a mission that includes stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexico.
“It’s a fine line to help people and try to get people clean, and at the same time incarcerate and get the drug dealers off the streets,” said Nathan Manning, a Republican state senator in Ohio who is sponsoring legislation to make it clear that materials used to test drugs for fentanyl are legal.
The urgency is heightened because of the deepening impact of the drugs. Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the nation had hit a grim milestone. For the first time, more than 100,000 Americans had diedof drug overdoses over a 12-month period. About two-thirds of the deaths were linked to fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, which can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, heroin or prescription opioids. Texas lawmakers failed to legalize fentanyl testing strips last year, but there’s still a push for access
The recent case of five West Point cadets who overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine during spring break in Florida put the dangers and pervasiveness of the fentanyl crisis back in the spotlight.
The chemical precursors to the drugs are being shipped largely from China to Mexico, where much of the illicit fentanyl supply is produced in labs before being smuggled into the U.S.
While users sometimes seek out fentanyl specifically, it and other synthetics with similar properties are often mixed with other drugs or formed into counterfeit pills so users often don’t know they’re taking it.
Advocates say test strips can help prevent accidental overdoses of drugs laced with fentanyl. The strips are given out at needle exchanges and sometimes at concerts or other events where drugs are expected to be sold or used.
Thomas Stuber, chief legislative officer at The LCADA Way, a drug treatment organization in Ohio that serves Lorain County and nearby areas, has been pushing for the test strip legislation. It also would ease access to naloxone, a drug that can be used to revive people when they’re having opioid overdoses.
“This is a harm-reduction approach that has received a lot of acceptance,” he said. “We cannot treat somebody if they’re dead.”
Since last year, at least a half-dozen states have enacted similar laws and at least a dozen others have considered them, according to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In West Virginia, the state hardest hit by opioids per capita, lawmakers passed a bill this month to legalize the testing strips. It now heads to the governor.
The measure was sponsored by Republican lawmakers. But state Delegate Mike Pushkin, a Democrat whose district includes central Charleston, has also been pushing for more access to fentanyl strips. He said the situation got worse last year when a state law tightened regulations on needle exchanges, causing some of them to close.
Pushkin, who also is in long-term addiction recovery, is pleased with the passage of the testing strip bill but upset with another measure passed this month that would increase the penalties for trafficking fentanyl. That bill also would create a new crime of adding fentanyl to another drug.
“Their initial reaction is, ‘We have to do something,’” he said. “It’s not just about doing something, it’s about doing the right thing that actually has results.”
But for many lawmakers, making sure that tough criminal penalties apply to fentanyl is a priority.
California Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen, a Republican, introduced a measure that would make penalties for dealing fentanyl just as harsh as those for selling cocaine or heroin. The Republican represents Orange County, where there were more than 600 reported fentanyl-related deaths last year.
“This is sending messages to those who aren’t afraid of selling these drugs that there’s a longer, bigger penalty than you might think,” said Nguyen, whose bill failed to advance from her chamber’s public safety committee in a 5-2 vote last week. She said after the bill failed that she was considering trying again.
She said committee members stressed compassion for drug users, something she said she agrees with.
“The less available these pills are out there, the better it is,” Nguyen said. “And that is going after the drug dealer.”DEA: We save lives in Middle America by stopping fentanyl at the border
The same day her measure failed to advance, a Democratic lawmaker in California announced a different bill to increase fentanyl-dealing penalties.
The National Conference of State Legislatures found 12 states with fentanyl-specific drug trafficking or possession laws as of last year. Similar measures have been introduced or considered since the start of 2021 in at least 19 states, the Associated Press found in an analysis of bills compiled by LegiScan. That does not include measures to add more synthetic opioids to controlled substance lists to mirror federal law; those have been adopted in many states, with bipartisan support.
Fentanyl has been in the spotlight in Colorado since February, when five people were found dead in a suburban Denver apartment from overdoses of fentanyl mixed with cocaine.
Under state law, possession with intent to distribute less than 14 grams of fentanyl is an offense normally punishable by two to four years in prison. But fentanyl is so potent that 14 grams can represent up to 700 lethal doses, under a calculation used by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
“It’s making it impossible to hold the dealer accountable for the deadliness of the drugs they’re peddling,” Colorado House Speaker Alec Garnett, a Democrat, said in an interview.In El Paso, fentanyl, an OD, and unknown reasons for Downtown jail deaths
He and a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week unveiled a bill also backed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis that would increase penalties for dealers with smaller amounts of fentanyl and in cases where the drug leads to a death. The legislation also would increase the accessibility of naloxone and test strips while steering people who possess fentanyl into education and treatment programs.
Maritza Perez, director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates for harm-reduction measures, is skeptical of the legislation that would increase criminal penalties.
“We have the largest incarceration rate in the entire world and we’re also setting records in terms of overdose deaths,” she said.
Democratic governors are focusing primarily on harm reduction methods. Among them is Illinois Gov. Jay Pritzker, who released a broad overdose action plan last month.
Several Republican governors and attorneys general have responded to the rising death toll with administrative enforcement efforts and by pushing for more federal intervention.
Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called for states to help secure the border with Mexico. Along with trying to keep people from entering the U.S., stopping the flow of fentanyl was cited as a reason. Several other Republican governors have sent contingents of state troopers or National Guard units.
The Texas Military Department said that from March 2021 through earlier this month, its troops near the border confiscated more than 1,200 pounds (540 kilograms) of fentanyl. By comparison, federal authorities reported confiscating about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) in 2021 — still a fraction of what entered the country.Gov. Greg Abbott brags about his border initiative. The evidence doesn’t back him up.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed about 2,700 cases involving crimes related to the distribution of fentanyl and similar synthetic drugs, up nearly tenfold from 2017. Even so, Republican state officials are critical of federal efforts to stop fentanyl from entering the country.
In January, 16 GOP state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on him to exert more pressure on China and Mexico to stop the flow of fentanyl. Those are steps that Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of National Drug Control Policy, said are already being taken.
In March, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for more enforcement on fentanyl trafficking and harsher penalties.
“Fentanyl is killing Americans of all walks of life in unprecedented numbers,” Morrisey said in a statement emailed to the AP, “and the federal government must respond with full force, across the board, using every tool available to stem the tide of death.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TOP STORIES
Medicare enrollees to get free COVID-19 tests at …
Haitians look forward to filing asylum claims when …
Governor calls emergency special election for South …
Shelter for Ukrainian migrants opens in Tijuana
MORE STORIES
States look for solutions as U.S. fentanyl deaths …
Medicare enrollees to get free COVID-19 tests at …
Governor calls emergency special election for South …
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick releases top 2023 legislative …
California church on a mission to help Ukrainian …
Divided reactions to the end of Title 42 by migrant …
What’s next for Texas, as neighboring New Mexico …
Hundreds line up to buy legal cannabis across Texas …
BorderReport Video
nullPrevious
KXAN News Today
6 hours ago
TDEM expanding statewide outreach
6 hours ago
CapMetro riders can request a drop off between stops …
6 hours ago
Austin Police joins 30 by 30 Initiative to increase …
6 hours ago
City officials concerned Austin airport is understaffed, …
6 hours ago
APD launches new unit to review officer use of force …
6 hours ago
3 more protesters hurt by less-lethal rounds in May …
6 hours ago
1 adult dies, 3 children taken to hospital after …
6 hours ago
Monday overnight First Warning Forecast
7 hours ago
Texas police investigating multiple middle schoolers …
8 hours ago
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick releases top legislative priorities …
10 hours ago
Texas lawmakers weigh border security spending as …
10 hours ago
Next
EL PASO CORRESPONDENT LATEST STORIES
End of Title 42 will ‘open floodgates to illegal …
Immigration4 hours ago
Haitians look forward to filing asylum claims when …
Immigration10 hours ago
Parrots in a box: CBP stops 2nd bird-smuggling attempt …
Border Crime16 hours ago
Texans flock to cannabis dispensaries across New …
New Mexico3 days ago
DHS says Title 42 ending on May 23 but removals of …
Immigration4 days ago
At least 10,000 in Juarez waiting for Title 42 rollback, …
Immigration4 days ago
SOUTH TEXAS CORRESPONDENT LATEST STORIES
Governor calls emergency special election for South …
Texas11 hours ago
Divided reactions to the end of Title 42 by migrant …
Immigration3 days ago
New congressional caucus formed to study border security …
Immigration4 hours ago
South Texas congressman Filemon Vela has stepped …
Texas4 days ago
Lights Out campaign urges Texans to dim night lights …
Texas4 days ago
Environmental groups, feds reach deal blocking military …
Border Wall6 days ago
CALIFORNIA CORRESPONDENT LATEST STORIES
Shelter for Ukrainian migrants opens in Tijuana
Immigration12 hours ago
Court orders Pakistani asylum-seeker to continue …
Immigration2 weeks ago
Amazon launches program to help refugees
Trade2 weeks ago
State Department issues travel warning for Tijuana …
Border Crime2 weeks ago
Fence to prevent migrants from squatting at border …
Immigration2 weeks ago
Pakistani asylum-seeker continues journey in U.S. …
News2 weeks ago
Officials: Texas foster care center sex-trafficked minors
State officials say employees at a foster care center under a state contract to shelter children who have been trafficked for sex have been trafficking those children themselves
Officials: Texas foster care center sex-trafficked minors
ByThe Associated Press
March 10, 2022, 8:49 PM
HOUSTON — State officials told a federal judge Thursday that employees at a foster care center under a state contract to shelter children who had been trafficked for sex had been trafficking those children themselves.
The matter arose at an emergency hearing before U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack, who has been presiding over a 2011 class-action lawsuit against the state Department of Family and Protective Services that alleged that children were held in unsafe conditions, the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News reported.
The allegations involved a Bastrop facility called The Refuge, which housed 11 children ages 11 to 17. On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered an immediate investigation of the reports by the Texas Rangers.
State officials said a staffer reported in late January that a former employee had sold nude photos of two young girls and used the money to purchase illegal drugs and alcohol for them. Further investigation revealed several staffers still employed at The Refuge were involved in the criminal activity.
There are seven alleged victims and nine alleged perpetrators, state officials said. One staff member has been arrested, and additional criminal charges are expected, officials said. The children were finally removed from the facility by Wednesday, 1 1/2 months after the first report, state officials said.
“The most appalling thing about this is the disregard of these children,” Jack said. “You had to wait to get eight calls before you took 11 female already-trafficked children out of this trafficking situation. This is a system that remains broken.”
Department Commissioner Jaime Masters said she was only made aware of the situation Wednesday.
“There is no excuse for why I didn’t know, which is why several people are losing their jobs,” Masters said.
In a statement, The Refuge said it was “fully cooperating with authorities and we hope the alleged perpetrator will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and we will assist the Sheriff and the Bastrop County District Attorney’s office in their prosecution.”
“Our hearts are broken and we are outraged by the actions of former employees whose intent was to harm, not help,” said founder and CEO Brooke Crowder.
The Trailblazing Patriot 