The bipartisan effort began after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 9,500 pounds of fentanyl in fiscal year 2024.
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger has joined a bipartisan group of her colleagues to help research, develop and fund efforts to combat the flow of fentanyl and other contraband at the border.
In 2022, there were 2,490 drug overdose deaths in Virginia, 79% of which were due to fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and tramadol. Border security technologies used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), such as non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology, can detect narcotics, weapons, and human smuggling at land ports of entry (POEs). In fiscal year (FY) 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) scanned 7.6 million conveyances and intercepted more than 100,000 pounds of narcotics using large-scale NII systems. NII technology also increases savings and efficiency. Inspections using NII systems take just 8 minutes compared to physical examinations that can take up to 2 hours. In FY 2022, NII technology reduced annual operating costs by $1 billion and reduced costs due to delays by $5.8 to $17.5 billion.
In a letter to DHS Under Secretary for Security, Science and Technology Dimitri Kusnezov and CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller, Rep. Spanberger and 12 of his colleagues urged the Administration to invest in research and development of NII technology. The lawmakers further explained that the technology will equip CBP officers with safer and more effective tools to stop contraband entering the United States. The lawmakers also asked for a report on progress toward deploying the new optimized passive NII muon tomography technology at and between U.S. ports of entry. The letter comes after CBP reported alarming amounts of fentanyl seizures, including 9,500 pounds of fentanyl seized in FY24 alone.
“To strengthen border security, it is essential to continue to innovate beyond existing X-ray technologies, including the Multi-Energy Portal (MEP) systems currently deployed at POEs. Unlike passive NII muon tomography technology, X-rays cannot penetrate lead, water, or dense materials such as granite, machine parts, or wood,” Spanberger and colleagues wrote. “As you know, the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation Act of 2007 required 100% scanning of ocean cargo containers bound for the United States by 2012, but this is long overdue, and the Secure America’s Ports Act, signed into law in 2021, requires all U.S. land POEs to develop plans to scan 100% of cars, trucks, and freight trains. However, due to limitations in the scanning technology currently deployed by CBP, only a small percentage of cargo is actually scanned. Passive NII muon tomography technology could therefore help CBP more effectively secure the border.”
Their letter continues: “Given recent advances in AI and ML technologies that have enabled passive muon tomography systems to identify humans in cargo, we support continued advancements in anomaly detection algorithms that may also help identify substances such as fentanyl and other dangerous contraband. These advances, aided by planned science, technology, and CBP collaborations, will be a major step forward for border security by greatly increasing transparency into what is attempting to cross the border, including fentanyl and other illicit substances, and providing CBP officers with a safer and more effective tool to secure the border.”
Click here to read the letter. The full letter can be found below.
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Dr. Kusnezov, Deputy Commissioner Miller
I am writing today to express my support for research and development initiatives within the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), particularly those related to optimizing existing passive scanning technologies to strengthen border security. These technologies support our shared goals of securing our borders and preventing the entry of illegal narcotics (especially fentanyl), illegal firearms, weapons of mass destruction, and human trafficking.
We understand that S&T and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are collaborating to further optimize passive non-intrusive inspection (NII) muon tomography technology through the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to detect human and fentanyl in addition to other dangerous contraband that is smuggled in alarming quantities at and between U.S. ports of entry (POEs). We fully support this important collaboration and will request a briefing within 90 days of receiving this letter to keep you updated on progress toward deploying this technology, and subsequent briefings if further meaningful progress is made. To strengthen border security, it is essential that we continue to innovate beyond existing X-ray technologies, including the Multi-Energy Portal (MEP) systems currently deployed at POEs. Unlike passive NII muon tomography technology, X-rays cannot penetrate dense materials such as lead, water, granite, machine parts, and wood. Passive muon tomography has no such limitations. As you may know, the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation Act of 2007 required 100% scanning of ocean freight containers bound for the United States by 2012, but this is long overdue, and the US Port Security Act, signed into law in 2021, requires all US land ports to develop plans to scan 100% of cars, trucks, and freight trains. However, due to limitations in the scanning technology currently deployed by CBP, only a small percentage of cargo is actually scanned. Thus, passive NII muon tomography technology could help CBP more effectively secure the border.
Safety concerns for CBP officers, truck drivers, and humans smuggled across the border in cargo containers have led us to support new, safer scanning technology that does not emit radiation (i.e., passive). As you know, x-rays emit dangerous ionizing radiation and cause health problems for all involved, but passive NII technology using muon tomography does not emit ionizing radiation and is safe for CBP officers, other POE officers, dogs, truck drivers, and people who may be hiding inside cargo containers. Given that recent advances in AI and ML technology have enabled passive muon tomography systems to identify humans in cargo, we support continued advances in anomaly detection algorithms that may also help identify substances such as fentanyl and other dangerous contraband. These advances, supported by planned science, technology, and CBP collaborations, would be a major step forward in border security as they would provide much greater transparency into what is trying to cross the border, including fentanyl and other illegal drugs, and give CBP officers a safer and more effective tool to secure the border.
During their official visit in February, CBP and S&T officials saw firsthand the new human detection capabilities of a state-of-the-art passive muon tomography scanning system and were impressed with the technology and plans for its application at ports of entry. During the visit, these DHS officials also learned that their already advanced anomaly detection algorithms are being further optimized to detect fentanyl, which cannot be detected by X-ray systems, particularly when contraband is smuggled inside contraband cargo. We encourage S&T and CBP to continue working together to efficiently advance this optimization and encourage the immediate deployment of this technology where operationally feasible, to significantly enhance border security at land and sea ports of entry.
In addition to briefings to keep me apprised of progress, I also request the status of the technology needs analysis that Congress directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. This report will include an analysis of technology needs and gaps along the southwest border, as well as recent technological advances such as muon tomography. According to CBP’s FY 25 Congressional Justification, this report was due by December 14, 2023.
Thank you for your efforts and continued attention to this important issue.
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