We have a fentanyl problem. Or more, we have fentanyl problems. Foreign countries like China and Mexico have a relationship that hurts us that we need to recheck immediately.

Earlier in December of 2024, Mexico seized its largest fentanyl amount it ever had in history; it is not unknown the issues that lie within our borders and outside our border due to foreign criminals that distribute narcotics. I would like to preface this whole story with a what seems like obvious but often ignored application to these criminals: They have broken the law, distributing narcotics. I am not talking about the good, working immigrants or importers who hold this country on their backs, just like the rest of us. I do not have much sympathy for those who sell these highly illegal narcotics that kill tens of thousands a year, like fentanyl.

China, and South Eastern Asia are the majority distributors of products that are used to synthesize drugs in places over the border, north and south. I am covering this topic because it is very close to home. Colorado, my state of residence, struggles from fentanyl and drug abuse, with 1,811 deaths in 2022. Each life is a story, a message, and possible generations.

Why do these fentanyl problems begin? The first part of how is the demand for fentanyl, which other than educating people about fentanyl and its dangerous properties which is developing now in 2024, we can’t control that much, but we can try to prevent those who supply us fentanyl from importing or selling it in the U.S.

A lot of fentanyl products come via air cargo into the U.S.A due to regulation that needs to be changed. A lot of these fentanyl producers send a collection of resources to make fentanyl to the U.S. It is then brought to Mexico where it is manufactured and smuggled or sold on the streets in Mexico.

The backbone of this is a law called De Minimis, and it changes the way we trade with other countries. Basically, if something is under $800, it is free of duty and taxes. This law was signed in 2016 and on most graphs of fentanyl deaths, you can see this giant jump in deaths near the mid 2016-17.

At this current point in time, reducing De Minimis would probably slow trade relationships. But we, in my eyes, don’t have much more weapons to hold against the foreign importers of these products. And we need to do it now, because it’s starting to be a big problem in 2023, over 850 million packages came into the U.S through De minimis. I can’t even imagine how much easier this law makes smuggling illegal items.

One of my major hopes for the Trump administration is when he talks to our partners, like China and South Eastern Asian countries with several companies that trade with US, is bringing up De Minimis again. I hope for a possible reduction of the $800 cap check to hurt the margins of these soon to be drug exports, because it is important to bring up all the listed problems and issues that come with it and all narcotics–health issues in the US, death, exploited labor, destroyed communities and destroyed families.

Another thing that could help prevent illegal external narcotics is a more strict border crossing policy for people who may be smuggling these illicit substances. Overall, the US should be screening more. Over 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the USA, 3% of our population. Along with this, under the Biden administration there were over 10 million encounters at the border, with Trump’s administration having 2.4 million encounters, his first term. The checks and balances of being identified in the country makes selling and distributing drugs a lot harder. A small amount of undocumented immigrants commit drug related crimes, but a few can own a city and a few can hurt a community.

I know increasing or decreasing the amount of migrants can be a touchy subject for some people who feel like these immigrants haven’t earned citizenship, or have a right to it outright. I think that neither of these positions really address the issue of people being undocumented, which is said checks and balances.

I don’t think it’s necessarily unfair to say that undocumented immigrants should play by the same rules and checks and balances as everyone else, including legal immigrants. Every undocumented immigrant should be brought forward when Trump becomes acting president by means of deportation and its agencies and be granted citizenship to give them the same rules as everyone else, and the next step is to secure an easy way to citizenship in the United States so our systems can apply to everyone.

There are so many steps towards this goal that our new president can take, but the problem is, will he? I’m not sure. If this ever reaches any president I hope they can listen. A lot of things are more nuanced than, these people do bad things and these others do good, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take action.

We need to absolutely reduce De Minimis, effective immediately, to reduce the margin of selling drug contributing substances. We need to talk with our foreign partners–Canada and Mexico, and even over the Pacific, to figure out why their governments won’t do anything. And we need to give citizenship to those who have entered undocumented, even though it is a hard bullet to bite for most Americans. Having immigrants is one of the most American practices on the planet; there is no more diverse and better place in the world for immigration, so I think it’s time we embrace that.

The final thing I haven’t discussed as a domestic call to action is social welfare to help support those with addictions and get them off these drugs that can kill, ruin and destroy lives of those around them and of their own. We are all human. It’s time we start acting like it.