Democratic U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen said a bipartisan bill he's co-sponsoring to reduce fentanyl smuggling at the southern border would also help suppress another kind of crime.
During a stop Tuesday at the Midwest Food Bank in Normal, Sorensen said the bill would not only fund drive-under X-ray machines for trucks heading north at border crossings, it would scan ones heading south.
"While fentanyl is coming across the border into the United States, illegal firearms are going out of the United States into Mexico. They are going to arm the cartels," said Sorensen.
He said the cartels not only deal drugs, they also engage in human trafficking and manipulate people crossing the border to ferry the drugs.
“We need to make sure the detectors are there at every port of entry, not just the port of Nogales,” he said. “Right now, the fentanyl is coming across the border in droves. It’s not somebody carrying it across the border or across a river. These are very sophisticated importers of very deadly drugs, and we have to stop it.”
Sorensen said other ways to crack down on the deadly opioid trade include better tracking of the sales of pill presses online, often used to package the fentanyl that have contributed to tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S.
He did not directly address the issue of fentanyl precursor chemicals made and sold in China and increasingly in India to Mexican cartels but said the government needs to act on a variety of fronts.
“It is an all-of-the-above approach. It’s not just saying one thing is going to solve the problem. We have to understand that the most complex of situations have a complex solution,” said Sorensen.
He said the border officers are overloaded and the bill would allow more hiring.
Food supply
Meanwhile, Sorensen said food insecurity is a big issue in the nation. During Tuesday's stop at the Midwest Food Bank in Normal, Sorensen said he supports legislation to address the problem on a couple fronts.
"We've got to bring costs down first and foremost, whether that is the cost of food or the cost of prescription drugs," said Sorensen.
A major program that offers food help to low-income people is SNAP, often known as food stamps. Renewal of SNAP is part of the stalled Farm Bill. Republicans want to reduce the size and scope of SNAP, saying there's a need to address fraud. Sorensen said fraud crackdown is good but that should not include cutting spending or making the program harder to access.
Sorensen also applauded the volunteer driven model of the Midwest Food Bank. It’s a volunteer-driven not-for-profit with very few staff that operates in multiple states providing disaster food aid following tornados floods and hurricanes, and regular shipments to hundreds of food pantries and other local distributors.
“This is about community but it's also about meeting the need. What I want to do is go back to Congress and find out whether we can find some funding for the Midwest Food Bank but also to make sure the story is told,” said Sorensen.
Transit
Sorensen also visited Connect Transit in Bloomington to mark the first anniversary of Connect Flex. That's the on-demand short distance, or microtransit, service operated by the Bloomington Normal bus system. In its first year, Connect Flex has given more than 60,000 rides, said Connect Transit.
Sorensen is running for re-election against Rockford area judge Joe McGraw.
