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FACT BRIEF

Are undocumented immigrants the primary source of fentanyl trafficking across the U.S.-Mexico border?

By Carmela Guaglianone
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NO

More than 85% of fentanyl drug traffickers convicted in the U.S. in 2023 were American citizens, a proportion on par with previous years. The Cato Institute, a conservative leaning think-tank, found that less than 0.01% of those arrested for illegal border crossing in 2022 possessed fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that was responsible for more than 74,000 overdose deaths across the U.S. in 2023 alone. It is most often produced abroad—originally in China and now other countries, including Mexico—and trafficked into the United States.

In the first five months of fiscal year 2024, more than 13,000 pounds of illicit fentanyl were seized by law enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border, resulting in more than 2,000 arrests. About 90% of seizures are made at ports of entry.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
US Sentencing Commission Fentanyl Trafficking
Cato Institute U.S. Citizens Were 89% of Convicted Fentanyl Traffickers in 2022
Centers for Disease Control U.S. Overdose Deaths Decrease in 2023, First Time Since 2018
US Department of Homeland Security Fact Sheet: President’s State of the Union Highlights DHS Efforts on the Front Lines Combating Illicit Opioids, Including Fentanyl
US Customs and Border Protection Strategy to Combat Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Drugs
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.