Heinrich and Vasquez visit border, talk about new bill to stop fentanyl

Heinrich and Vasquez started the day touring the inside of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry to view the scanning technology. Heinrich and Vasquez joined with news media outside the port of entry and called the scanning technology “state of the art.” Heinrich said he and Vasquez hope to see it utilized at ports of entry all along the border. 

Heinrich said that, despite the new technology, border agents cannot scan 100 percent of the vehicles that come through the port of entry. He said that as the federal government continues to “layer on more technology” he is hoping some of that will be artificial intelligence that can help agents “focus on the images that are most likely to tell them someone is likely trying to move contraband.”

Heinrich said he thinks that after the November general election, the comprehensive border security bill, which stalled this past spring after former President Donald Trump signaled to Republicans to not vote for it, will return to the Senate floor. Heinrich said “that bill would have progressed” if Trump had not “asked his party to walk away from it.”