Laurel Lee Says American Families Are Paying the 'Ultimate Price' due to Human Trafficking, Fentanyl Crisis

At a House Committee Hearing known as “An Unbearable Price: The Devastating Human Costs of the Biden-Mayorkas Border Crisis,” Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) questioned prominent figures relating to illegal border crossings and its consequences.

Among those questioned included Tim Ballard, a former DHS agent who founded an anti-sex trafficking organization, Operation Underground Railroad. The movie “Sound of Freedom” was inspired by Ballard’s work.

Before beginning her line of questioning, Rep. Lee stated that statistics cannot tell the story of the border crisis in full.

“I thank all of our witnesses for being here to share your stories. This, in fact, is a crisis that we cannot adequately describe by talking only about the staggering numbers of unlawful crossings at our southern border, or by talking about the devastating economic impact or the failure to enforce our laws,” said Rep. Lee. “The true foundation of this crisis is the ultimate price that is being paid by American families who have lost sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, to fentanyl poisoning, or children being stolen to human trafficking. And you being here today allows us to share with the American people the true cost of what it really means when we fail to secure that border.”

Ballard mentioned that under Biden-Mayorkas administration, it is easier to adopt a child at the border than it is to adopt a cat and that the administration has “ripped away” safety guards for minor children.

“This is not a safe country, unfortunately, for children who are unaccompanied and just walking around without any sponsor who’s unvetted. And so more needs to be done. You can’t just show a document and sign a paper. I mean, you literally have to do more than that to adopt a cat from a shelter, I’ve done it, so they need to be background checked, fingerprinted, and they’re not being printed,” stated Ballard. He would also mention, “If [sponsors are] claiming to be family, bring the DNA rapid technology. It’s great. 20 minutes you can confirm. Instead, they ripped it away, the administration a few months ago. Why, why, why? They’re already so less protected. Why do you take the few tools we have to protect these children?”

Congresswoman Lee also questioned Ms. Sandy Snodgrass, Founder of the Alaska Fentanyl Response. Lee asked, “What could Secretary Mayorkas be doing today that is not being done that would help stop the flow of fentanyl?”

Snodgrass stated that the administration could “stand up a federal response to begin to discuss and figure out how to take it to them.

“We’re on the receiving end of this deal and have been for years and quite frankly, the parents – my child is dead. I’m here for other people’s children. We need to take this fight to them. We need to take it to China, we need to take it to Mexico, and quit being recipients and victims of this war that we’re waging,” Snodgrass said.

Congresswoman Lee represents Florida’s 15^th Congressional District.