Washington, D.C.—Today, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability advanced the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act (H.R. 920), legislation introduced by Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón to codify the requirement for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to develop a strategy to combat drug trafficking from the Caribbean into the United States, with a particular focus on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The bill was incorporated into and passed as part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024 (H.R. 9598).
“Drug trafficking in the Caribbean continues to threaten communities across the United States. This is especially true for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the illicit activities of smugglers fuel violent crime and high homicide rates. The islands are also used as transshipment points to smuggle drugs into the mainland, further underscoring the threats posed by these criminal organizations to the nation and the need to bolster interdiction operations in the region. That’s why I introduced the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act, which would statutorily require ONDCP to develop a federal strategy to combat drug trafficking from the Caribbean, just as it is required by law to develop a Southwest Border and a Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy,” said Congresswoman González-Colón. “I thank House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer for incorporating my bill as part of his bipartisan Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024. I look forward to continuing working together to advance this comprehensive legislative package and strengthen federal efforts to tackle the overdose epidemic and drug-related violent crime.”
Key Provisions of H.R. 920, the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act:
Congresswoman González-Colón introduced H.R. 920, the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act, with Representative Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) as co-lead. Companion legislation (S. 309) was introduced in the Senate by Senators Rick Scott (R-Florida) and Alex Padilla (D-California). The bill would:
- Statutorily authorize the requirement for ONDCP to issue a Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy along with the National Drug Control Strategy, just as Congress has codified the requirement to develop the accompanying Southwest and Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategies.
- Require the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy to include measures to combat drug trafficking and drug-related violent crime in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Add definitions for “State” and “United States” in ONDCP’s authorization to clarify the inclusion of the U.S. territories.
- Amend the definition of “supply reduction” in ONDCP’s authorization to ensure the National Drug Control Strategy and its supplemental border strategies include efforts to track, dismantle, and disrupt the financial networks of drug trafficking organizations.
Key Provisions of H.R. 9598, the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024:
The Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act was incorporated into H.R. 9598, the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Kentucky) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) to reauthorize ONDCP and related programs and ensure federal agencies are properly resourced to hold accountable those who are trafficking drugs into the United States. Congresswoman González-Colón is also an original cosponsor of the bill, which would:
- Reauthorize the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program and the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Program at FY 2024 enacted funding levels through FY 2031.
- Reauthorize related ONDCP programs, including the Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance Program, the Model Acts Program, the Community-Based Coalition Enhancement Grants Program, and the National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute.
- Incorporate Rep. González-Colón’s H.R. 920 and codify the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy to ensure ONDCP continues to deliver strategies to address drug trafficking in the Caribbean.
- Bolster local law enforcement resources to combat fentanyl and temporarily reassign prosecutorial resources.
- Require the ONDCP Director to conduct a study on life saving opioid overdose reversals.
- Direct the ONDCP Director to coordinate with the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State to ensure appropriate agencies are properly resourced to ensure that traffickers of illicit drugs are held accountable under Title 8 immigration authorities.
- Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to include in a report to the ONDCP Director the effects of current trends of encounters at the southwest border on CBP’s ability to interdict deadly, illicit drugs.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability unanimously passed H.R. 9598 on Wednesday. Bill text and additional information can be found here. ### |
