{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/guest-leads-effort-combat-drug-crisis-tco-illicit-activity", "Guest Leads Effort to Combat Drug Crisis & TCO Illicit Activity", "2022-07-06", "2022", "2022-07", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Michael Guest", "G000591", "guest.house.gov", "guest", "https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Last week,Congressman Michael Guest (R-MS), Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, introduced the Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act (BEST Act). This legislation would reauthorize the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) and help stop the flow of illicit narcotics into the United States by thwarting the criminal activity of transnational criminal organizations (TCO). The BEST Act would enhance state and local law enforcement participation by supporting salary reimbursement for state and local municipalities that join BEST task forces. Furthermore, this effort would require both the Coast Guard Investigative Service and Coast Guard Intelligence participation in every maritime BEST, furthering collaboration and combating maritime smuggling.\n\n\u201cDue to the Biden administration\u2019s reckless open border policies, illegal narcotics are flowing across our nation\u2019s borders daily, fueling America\u2019s drug crisis and impacting communities and families in my home state of Mississippi,\u201d said Vice Ranking Member Guest. \u201cOur country is suffering from the largest drug trafficking and drug overdose epidemics in the history of the United States. Thankfully, there is a federal task force dedicated to combatting the flow of illicit narcotics. I\u2019m proud to lead the effort in taking steps towards protecting Americans and shutting down these illicit pathways.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am proud to join my colleagues to compensate local law enforcement who serve on federal task forces that combat criminal organizations,\u201d Stefanik said. \u201cState and local law enforcement should be incentivized to participate in these initiatives, but requiring law enforcement agencies to pay their own way is presenting an unnecessary barrier. This bill will ensure our law enforcement agencies are properly reimbursed for their hard work and sacrifice to keep our communities safe.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nIn response to the significant increase in violence along the southwest border in Mexico, the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as other federal, state, local, and international law enforcement officials, created the Border Enforcement Security Task Force in Laredo, Texas, in 2005.\n\nThis program has experienced significant growth over the past decade and, as of today, has a total of 83 BEST units across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These teams are comprised of over 2,000 members who represent over 200 law enforcement agencies that have committed to jointly investigate transnational criminal activity along the Southwest and Northern Borders and at our nation\u2019s major seaports.\n\nSince inception through March of this year, their collective efforts have initiated more than 46,000 investigations, which have resulted in 56,000 criminal arrests, the seizure of 3.75 million pounds of narcotics, 32,000 weapons, and more than $860 million in cash and monetary instruments.\n\nCongressman Michael Guest represents Mississippi's Third Congressional District. Currently serving his second term, Congressman Guest serves as the Vice Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, as a Member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and as a Member of the Committee on Ethics.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:20:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/guest-leads-effort-combat-drug-crisis-tco-illicit-activity"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7596750985831022, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}