Senator Hassan Presses CBP Commissioner Over Slow Pace of Efforts to Deploy Fentanyl Detection Technology

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, pressed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott on the agency's delays in deploying non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology to combat drug trafficking at the Southern border. In 2021, Congress passed the bipartisan Securing America's Ports Act, which required CBP to produce plans to ensure that all vehicles entering the United States would be screened using NII technology by 2027. NII technology uses advanced imaging systems to help CBP officers detect fentanyl and other contraband hidden inside vehicles and cargo. However, as of February 2025, CBP was scanning less than 10 percent of passenger vehicles with no plans to deploy additional NII equipment at several major ports of entry.

"Drug smuggling through ports of entry at the Southern border remains the primary mode by which fentanyl enters the United States." Senator Hassan wrote to CBP Commissioner Scott. "Unlike manual inspection, NII enables CBP to detect fentanyl and other contraband hidden inside cars, trucks, trailers, and cargo containers, while also allowing lawful travel and trade to continue with minimal disruption."

"Despite the potential effectiveness of NII in the fight against fentanyl trafficking and the Congressional mandate for its deployment, CBP has been slow to deploy NII technology and currently has no plans for additional equipment at several critical ports of entry," continued Senator Hassan.

This letter builds on Senator Hassan's ongoing efforts to make sure that CBP officers have the technology they need to better stop fentanyl and other contraband from entering the U.S. Senator Hassan has repeatedly pressed DHS and CBP officials on the need to expand the use of NII technology, and she raised it during the confirmation hearing for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Earlier this year, Senator Hassan visited the border city of San Diego to meet with federal law enforcement officials who work at the Southern border to discuss efforts to combat drug trafficking and other security threats. Senator Hassan has also led bipartisan legislation to strengthen border inspections and combat drug smuggling. Last year, the bipartisan DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, which Senator Hassan backed to improve the technology law enforcement uses to combat the drug epidemic, was signed into law.

Click here to read Senator Hassan's letter to CBP Commissioner Scott or see below.

Dear Commissioner Scott:

I am writing regarding threats at our Southern border and the failure of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to modernize vehicle scanning through the use of highly effective non-intrusive inspection (NII) technology, which helps prevent illegal trafficking of fentanyl and other contraband. In 2021, the bipartisan Securing America's Ports Act required CBP to produce plans within six months - and regularly update Congress on its progress - to ensure that 100 percent of vehicles entering the United States would be screened through NII by 2027. However, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that CBP is far from reaching this goal. As of February 2025, GAO found that CBP was scanning less than 10 percent of passenger vehicles entering the U.S. at the Southern border and did not even have plans to deploy additional NII equipment at the two largest ports of entry, both of which are located in San Diego and are known to be used by cartels to smuggle drugs and other contraband. This is especially concerning, as I recently met with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials in San Diego who highlighted the fact that the trafficking of illicit drugs into the United States continues to be an issue of serious concern.

Congress passed the Securing America's Ports Act because NII is essential to combat fentanyl trafficking. Drug smuggling through ports of entry at the Southern border remains the primary mode by which fentanyl enters the United States. In fiscal years 2021 through 2024, about 80 percent of DHS fentanyl seizures occurred in the Southwest border region. In fiscal year 2025, 75 percent of the drugs that CBP seized in the Southwest border region were seized at ports of entry. Available data, while limited, suggests that NII helped enable most of these seizures. Unlike manual inspection, NII enables CBP to detect fentanyl and other contraband hidden inside cars, trucks, trailers, and cargo containers, while also allowing lawful travel and trade to continue with minimal disruption.

Despite the potential effectiveness of NII in the fight against fentanyl trafficking and the Congressional mandate for its deployment, CBP has been slow to deploy NII technology and currently has no plans for additional equipment at several critical ports of entry. According to GAO, as of February 2025, only 52 of 153 planned large-scale NII systems were fully operational, with the remaining systems still in pre-planning, design, or construction. Even where systems have been installed, GAO found that limited staffing and system outages have constrained their use. In fiscal year 2024, only around half of individual large-scale NII systems met CBP's operational-availability targets, which includes systems that are functioning, staffed, and ready-for-use. Perhaps most concerning, GAO found that CBP does not currently have plans for large-scale NII deployment at major ports of entry that present significant drug trafficking risk. In fact, ports of entry without NII deployment plans account for 38 percent of passenger vehicle traffic along the Southwest border - creating a glaring gap that drug traffickers continue to exploit. Recent developments, including CBP's deployment of some NII technology that was previously in storage and a CBP request for information to industry about using AI for NII, are positive but not sufficient given the urgency of the threat.

Historically, barriers to NII deployment have included project mismanagement, competing agency priorities, inadequate funding, and technological challenges. The Trump Administration's stated focus on fighting cartels, federal adoption of new AI technology, and recent increases in CBP funding should all serve to reduce these barriers. I sent questions for the record on NII following your February testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, but have not yet received a response. During the confirmation process for Secretary Mullin, I appreciated his commitment to work with my office and to provide updates on NII planning. In view of that commitment, I am reiterating my questions for the record to CBP below and request a response no later than July 7, 2026.

1. Does CBP currently have a NII deployment plan for San Ysidro Land Port of Entry (LPOE)? If so, please provide this plan. If not, when does CBP expect to have an NII deployment plan for San Ysidro LPOE?
2. Does CBP currently have a NII deployment plan for Otay Mesa LPOE? If so, please provide this plan. If not, when does CBP expect to have an NII deployment plan for Otay Mesa LPOE?
3. Does CBP currently have a NII deployment plan for DeConcini LPOE? If so, please provide this plan. If not, when does CBP expect to have an NII deployment plan for DeConcini LPOE?
4. When does CBP expect to achieve 100 percent scanning of commercial and passenger vehicles and rail containers at LPOEs?
5. What percentage of commercial and passenger vehicles and rail containers transiting through LPOEs are being scanned with NII equipment? Has this percentage increased or decreased since January 20, 2025?
6. What percentage of NII equipment currently possessed by CBP is not being actively utilized?
7. For each of the last five years, what proportion of drug seizures at LPOE involved the use of NII? Please provide estimates by sector and LPOE.
8. How many CBP personnel are currently assigned to NII? How many CBP personnel were assigned to NII as of January 21, 2025?
9. How many personnel does CBP need to achieve 100 percent NII based on current technology and staffing requirements? Please provide estimates broken down by LPOE.
10. How will the reassignment of certain missions from the office of Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction impact CBP's ability to reach 100 percent NII?

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