Border Patrol Chief Says Agency Is Ready for Cartels: 'Better Look Out'

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Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks says the agency is fully prepared for increased cartel activity as the Trump administration touts recent declines in illegal crossings and fentanyl seizures.

In an interview with NewsNation, Banks emphasized that cartel operations are shifting as U.S. border enforcement tightens, pushing drug and human trafficking routes away from traditional land entry points.

"In the first 100 days, we've seized over a quarter-million pounds of hard narcotics that would have gone to the streets of America," Banks told NewsNation. Total fentanyl seizures dropped significantly in recent months, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection reporting 1,371 pounds seized in March and April combined. This marks the first time in nearly three years that monthly seizures have fallen below 1,000 pounds. Early May saw the largest Fentanyl bust in DEA history, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said this week.

Banks cautioned that, as a result of these figures, cartels are adjusting their strategies, redirecting narcotics to other regions such as Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. "We're closing the market on the United States," Banks said. "They're looking for new markets."

Banks also highlighted the increased danger for U.S. law enforcement as cartels compete for control of trafficking corridors, expressing a strong support for a "whole-of-government" response to border security and pointing to recent efforts involving the Department of Homeland Security, National Guard units, and even the Department of Defense:

"I support anything that we can do legally that will shut down the border, and I'm here to support the president and the secretary and doing anything we can do within our legal powers to get that border shut down. We welcome and encourage anyone out there, law enforcement, DOD National Guard, to come help us fight this fight. And they are. We are bringing everything but the kitchen sink at them."

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday afternoon the largest fentanyl bust in U.S. history, with 11.5 kilos (25.4 pounds) seized, approximately 3 million fentanyl pills. The multiagency operation headed by the DEA, saw 16 people arrested, including high-ranking Sinaloa cartel member Alberto Salazar Amaya.