LETTER: Tiffany used Grafton death to fearmonger without solutions

 

To Ozaukee Press:

The letter by U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in last week’s Ozaukee Press, “Grafton fentanyl death shows consequences of open border,” left no doubt about his obsession with the border and his convenient avoidance of facts around the fentanyl crisis.

Of course, he blames President Biden for opening the border—which he hasn’t—leading to fentanyl deaths. The problem is that Biden has been doing nothing much different than his predecessor, if not doing the job better. His Operation Blue is coordinating the participation across agencies and levels of government to target fentanyl smuggling. Further, the rise in fentanyl has been taking place over the past 20 years, so this is nothing new under Biden.

Blaming desperate and vulnerable migrants for drug trafficking is a cheap shot by the congressman representing this state’s northwest. Fentanyl is an American crime. The 1,322 of the 1,533 charged fentanyl trafficking offenders were U.S. citizens. Moreover, 90% of fentanyl seized by Customs and Border Protection was at border crossings into Arizona and California.

By the way, the budget proposed by Tiffany’s party would have enacted significant funding cuts for border security and treatment programs, while the GOP’s  Secure the Border Act is punitive but not constructive.

It’s bad enough that this deadly epidemic rips through the country. It’s bad enough that Tiffany is distorting the crisis to score points against the president. But it’s worse that Tiffany is using the death of a young man in  Grafton to fearmonger while not offering solutions to the problem.

Keith R. Schmitz

Milwaukee

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Ozaukee Press

Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

125 E. Main St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-3494
 

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