U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) on July 11 sponsored the bipartisan Trafficking and Smuggling Intelligence Act of 2019, which would require the Director of National Intelligence to provide Congress with assessments of drug and human trafficking in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Rep. Hurd introduced H.R. 3720 with U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) to ensure the U.S. intelligence community prioritizes resources to combat the transnational smuggling networks in Mexico and the northern part of Central America, which his office described as key contributors to the migration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Human traffickers and smugglers are exacerbating the crisis at our southern border and putting innocent lives at risk,” Rep. Hurd wrote in a July 1 Washington Postopinion piece. “Understanding and disabling these smuggling and trafficking networks should be a national intelligence priority, which is why I am proud to introduce this important legislation to help dismantle these networks and work to address the crisis at our southern border.”
If enacted, H.R. 3720 also would require that the quarterly assessments address how these activities impact the security and economic situation in these countries and contribute to migration to the U.S.-Mexico border; and if the priorities of the Director of National Intelligence are adequate to deal with the associated threats, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Hurd’s office.
H.R. 3720 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.