House Republican Introduces Bill to Sanction Mexican Corruption
Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, introduced a bill that would direct the administration to impose sanctions on any foreign person who "knowingly engaged in significant corruption in Mexico," whether through bribery, corruption in government contracts, money laundering, intimidation of governmental or nongovernmental corruption investigators, or involvement in the "production, sale, or distribution of illicit fentanyl or fentanyl analogs." The text of the bill, released April 10, said the president would have the flexibility not to impose sanctions if the sanctions are deemed harmful to U.S. national security interests.
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Moran said the administration would have to publish an annual list "of Mexican individuals directly or indirectly involved with the manufacturing, distribution, or transfer of illicit Fentanyl." The lawmaker said the Biden administration is neglecting the drug trafficking crisis at the Mexican border.
"Since 2020, fentanyl-related deaths in Texas have increased 120% with a considerable amount of these illicit drugs making their way across the same southern border that the Biden administration has continually overlooked," he said. “We must hold corrupt Mexican officials and cartels accountable for their role in the death of thousands of Americans dying from these illicit drugs.”