Bipartisan bill promises more resources at ports to fight fentanyl smuggling, speed up wait times

As drug smuggling attempts persist at ports of entry along the southern border, a bipartisan duo in the House of Representatives is proposing legislation to make it easier for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to do their jobs.

The goal is to create a specific role for scanning to make it easier on already strained agents.

"The majority of the fentanyl that is intercepted is at the ports of entry because of the technology that we have," Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., who drafted H.R. 1924, told Fox News Digital. "Also because of the way that fentanyl looks and the way it gets transported, which are small pills and they can fit pretty much anywhere."

"Cars are taken apart and rebuilt around the fentanyl there. So when you've got these kinds of training positions, that enhances the security at the port of entry," the Arizona Republican continued, adding that the legislation comes from an idea floated by authorities on the ground. 

"Through this kind of scanning process where goods are flowing back and forth, we can prevent the crossing of illegal drugs and also speed up the process of the legal goods coming in," Ciscomani said. He also noted that the legislation could make certain ports optimal for increasing trade and reduce wait times, which could be hours.

"When I think about Eastern North Carolina and so many families being devastated in particular by the fentanyl crisis, we have to do something. We have to take urgent steps. We have to, you know, put aside the partisan politics because this is hitting home literally. So when I went to the border, taking three trips to the border, and in particular the Tucson sector," Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., who's co-sponsoring the legislation, told Fox News Digital.

"They're gonna be able to do more inspections, and I believe that this is a pathway of actually saving lives," Davis added.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are ongoing across the country, with some even being held at Guantanamo Bay, and troops were sent down to the southern border shortly after President Donald Trump took office last month.