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OPINION:
For too long, the fate of Americans’ security, health and well-being was outsourced to the aspirations of transnational criminal organizations.
Drug cartels proliferated under the Biden administration’s open border policies, which drove major physical and mental health problems, including rising rates of addiction and overdose. President Trump has taken courageous actions to reverse course.
Since early September, the Trump administration has launched more than 20 strikes across the Western Hemisphere targeting narco-terrorists moving illicit drugs toward our southern border.
Earlier this month, another four traffickers were killed aboard a vessel in the Eastern Pacific that, according to the Pentagon, was operated by a designated terrorist organization. This decisive military action created immediate relief to communities across the United States that have long struggled with the real-world impacts of an unfettered drug trade.
Mr. Trump’s critics have decided that their hatred of him was greater than their desire to keep Americans safe. They chose to question the legitimacy of these strikes rather than celebrate their immediate and deterrent benefits for the American people. One could be forgiven for feeling their sudden concern disingenuous, considering that President Obama deployed the same tactics to thwart suspected terrorism in his widespread “take-no-prisoners” drone policy.
Where was the outrage in years past as smugglers flooded our neighborhoods with drugs that killed our friends and family? Where was the outrage as our health care systems became overburdened with those hooked on drugs and the social fabric of our communities was left in tatters?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl, an amount large enough to eradicate the entire American population 14 times over, was smuggled into the U.S. during the 2024 fiscal year. Over the years, this has resulted in fentanyl killing a total number of Americans comparable to the cumulative U.S. death toll of World War II.
Those feigning concern at this point simply highlight negligence in addressing this crisis previously, as it’s clear that it didn’t arise out of nowhere. In 2023, as attorney general of Alabama, I and 21 other attorneys general wrote to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging the administration to take swift action against drug overdoses.
At the time, more than 100,000 Americans had lost their lives during the previous six years. Some 66% of those deaths were attributed to synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. The nation was at an unmistakable tipping point that required strong American leadership.
Thankfully, that leadership has been found in Mr. Trump. Through September, approximately 55% less fentanyl was seized at the border compared with the same time in the previous year. Targeting drug boats has further reduced the amount of illegal narcotics reaching our southern border.
Americans understand the gravity of the situation, yearn for better public safety and strongly back these strategic operations. New polling from the 2025 Reagan National Defense Survey found that 62% of people support using military force against suspected drug traffickers in Latin America and the Caribbean.
As Alabama attorney general, I understand the strains illegal immigration and drug smuggling have on state resources, especially in our country’s south. Although we’ve seen some declines in overdose deaths across the United States in the past year, opioid-related deaths increased nearly tenfold from 1999 to 2023. Sustained action is imperative to significantly turn the tide. Vital gains would be undone if Washington politicians stand in the way of Mr. Trump’s efforts to get our border under control.
It’s not just the would-be drug users who would suffer. Profiteering cartels cripple public health infrastructure as those hooked on drugs seek expensive medical interventions. The overall well-being of communities unravels as needles line streets, addicts overdose on sidewalks, and violence threatens law-abiding citizens. Increased instability and drug running stretch already limited resources, pulling much-needed law enforcement away from other pressing needs.
Politics is always filled with noise, and this story is no different, but to me and millions of other Americans, the facts here are simple. Narco-terrorists are funneling drugs through Central America and the Caribbean and onto our streets, leaving tens of thousands of Americans dead and neighborhoods less safe. Mr. Trump’s strategic offensive actions should be lauded.
The choice before us is clear: We can either stand with Mr. Trump’s decisive action to protect American lives, or we can return to the failed policies that allowed cartels to poison our communities and threaten our security. America has battled this devastating opioid problem for too long. We cannot allow Washington’s obstructionism to undo the crucial progress we’ve made.
• Steve Marshall is the attorney general of Alabama and a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.
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