Bipartisan House Duo Cracks Down on Gun Trafficking at US-Mexico Border

EXCLUSIVE: A House of Representatives duo will introduce a plan Wednesday to crack down on gun trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, are leading a bill that would increase manpower at outbound inspection points on the southern border and require inspections of at least 10% of outbound shipments from the U.S. to Mexico.

The Secretary of Homeland Security would then be required to write a report on those inspections and the feasibility of raising the minimum threshold to 15 or 20%.

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Reps. Dan Crenshaw and Abigail Spanberger are teaming up on a new bill to crack down on firearms and currency trafficking at the southern border. (Getty Images)

In terms of personnel, the bill would direct Customs and Border Patrol to deploy at least 500 agents focused on inspecting the flow of goods and people from the U.S. to Mexico. It would also increase the number of personnel for Homeland Security Investigations, which specifically focuses on currency and weapons trafficking.

On the equipment side, the bipartisan legislation also seeks to expand resources for inspections at the southern border, including 50 additional non-intrusive imaging systems, according to a summary seen by Fox News Digital.

According to Crenshaw, the illicit flow of money and guns across the border is “fueling the cartel war in Mexico and the fentanyl crisis that is poisoning Americans.”

“Currently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not have the resources to monitor flows south. But this bill helps fix that and is a positive step in combating the cartels and disrupting their operations,” he said in a statement.

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People and vehicles cross the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry Bridge, which connects the United States and Mexico, on January 19, 2019 in El Paso, Texas. (Getty Images)

Spanberger, who cited her background in criminal justice, said in a statement: “As a former CIA investigator who monitored cartels, I understand how these criminals smuggle firearms and large amounts of cash across our southern border to smuggle the illicit proceeds that continue to fuel their criminal activities.”

“We must continue to work to stem the flow of deadly fentanyl into our communities. And we can do that by working to stop the constant flow of contraband that sustains the drug trade,” she said.

Spanberger is leaving the House of Representatives at the end of the year to run for governor of Virginia. Republicans see her seat in the Washington, DC suburbs as a great opportunity to cash in on her position.

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Her emphasis on border security, with this bill and her support for the now-withdrawn bipartisan border deal with the Senate, appears to be part of a broader paradigm shift for Democrats as they seek to retain the White House and the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives in November.

Vulnerable Democrats in particular have emphasized their support for the border deal, which was ultimately killed by an avalanche of GOP opposition as the migrant crisis continues to burden cities and states across the country.

The bill would require Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to submit reports on border inspections to Congress. (AP)

Spanberger and Crenshaw’s bill is called the Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act. It has a companion bill in the Senate, led by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and James Langford, R-Okla. — one of the architects of the original Senate border deal.

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Even with bipartisan support, however, it’s not clear whether the new House bill will get a vote in the full chamber. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other GOP opponents of the Biden administration have responded to calls for more border funding with arguments that more money isn’t a sufficient fix for what they see as fundamentally flawed policies.

Democrats, in turn, accuse Republicans of using the border crisis as a political plaything.