Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recently introduced legislation designed to enhance border security via funds seized from illegal entities such as drug cartels.
The Securing the Border and Making Drug Cartels Pay for It Act would authorize the issuance of bonds to make billions of dollars available for immediate improvements to border security, including physical barriers, tactical infrastructure, and technology.
“This money would have lined the pockets of criminals and international drug lords, but we can use it to secure our border and stop the flow of drugs,” Cassidy said. “It won’t be the American people paying for the wall, it’ll be the Mexican cartels, and that is poetic justice. The more we secure the border, the more illicit money we will capture, so it will actually compound our success. Republicans and Democrats agree strategic barriers work.”
The legislation stipulates the bonds would be funded over time by unobligated revenue in the Treasury Forfeiture Fund (TFF), which accrues as Customs & Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies capture funds smuggled and laundered across the border by drug cartels and other nefarious activity.
The TFF annually averages $842 million in revenue.