Special to the
Opelika Observer
Attorney Gen. Steve Marshall joined President Donald Trump at the White House last week to brief him on the impact of drug trafficking at and between points of entry at the southern border.
“I want to thank President Trump for his willingness to listen to state and local law enforcement on the destructive toll that drug trafficking is taking on our communities and families in Alabama and elsewhere along America’s southern border,” Marshall said.
“Due to Alabama’s proximity to Atlanta, a major distribution point for drugs, and to Texas, a border state, Alabama has become a prime transit point for drug trafficking. The reality is that drug trafficking in my state, and across this country, is largely the result of an unsecured border. By failing to address this, everybody should understand that we are setting up law enforcement for failure.
“I also conveyed to the President that drug trafficking drives violent crime. Just in the past year in Alabama, we have had multiple incidents of violent crime—including crimes against children—committed by illegal immigrants who were here because of their roles in various drug-trafficking organizations. Even after being deported, sometimes multiple times, these criminals return to the drug trade and commit crimes against innocent Alabamians. It is reprehensible that we let this happen in America.”
Marshall represented the nation’s state attorneys general and state law enforcement in last week’s briefing with the president. He has been an outspoken supporter of the Trump administration’s efforts to construct a border wall along the U.S. frontier with Mexico as an effective barrier to block drug smuggling and human trafficking.
Other participants in the White House briefing included, Jim Carroll, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Carla Provost, Chief, U.S. Border Patrol; officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Customs and Border Protection; as well as law enforcement officials from Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts and Texas.
Last August, Marshall participated in a White House panel discussion on protecting America’s borders that included high-level officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, as well as governors and senators from other southern border states.