Government data reveals that there was one overdose death in the U.S. every five minutes last year. It was a significant increase from the country’s previous record.

So far, the Biden administration has done little to curb the increase in drug fatalities. The Wall Street Journal noted:

Apart from asking Congress for more money, the Biden administration hasn’t focused on this crisis. President Biden’s most recent budget pays scant attention to it, while his National Drug Control Strategy provides resources, such as clean syringe programs, that aren’t coupled with strategies to help patients beat their addictions.

But the administration’s impotence goes even further. The migrant crisis is still an ongoing issue, and arguably the primary contributor to the uptick in overdose deaths – especially those related to fentanyl. Additionally, the impact of the influx of opioids and other substances into the United States is having an impact even beyond deaths. Those who do not succumb to overdoses still suffer from devastating addictions that have destroyed many a life over the past few years.

What is noteworthy about this reality is the fact that soft-on-crime policies have created a situation in which overdose rates in the black community have risen considerably. Woke district attorneys who insist on protecting criminals more than civilians, coupled with the impact of the defund the police movement, have brought about a disturbing increase in overdoses among African Americans. From the WSJ:

Coincident with policy changes advertised as civil-rights progress, the comparatively low drug-overdose rate for blacks began to accelerate. It reached the white rate by 2019 and then surged past it during the pandemic to reach 43 annually per 100,000 of the black population by last September.

A recent JAMA Network study backs up the author’s claim:

Overdose death rates per 100 000 among Black individuals increased from 24.7 in 2019 to 36.8 in 2020, which was 16.3% higher than that for White individuals (31.6) in 2020. Thus, the 2020 overdose mortality rate among Black individuals was higher than that among White individuals for the first time since 1999.

Still, the White House has yet to provide any viable solutions to the problem. The Democrat-controlled Congress also seems to be at a loss. The fact of the matter is that the solution that is looking them right in the face is the one that is the least desirable to them. Tougher border policies designed to curtail Mexican cartels seeking to smuggle more narcotics into the country would cut down considerably on drug overdoses. President Joe Biden’s decision to reverse most of former President Donald Trump’s border policies has had a devastating impact on all Americans regardless of skin color.

Unfortunately, the left continues to vigorously oppose any notion that America should tighten up its border security. Biden has attempted on more than a few occasions to make it easier for migrants to enter the U.S. legally and illegally. He tried to do away with the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

The White House is also attempting to lift Title 42, a measure that allows border enforcement authorities to turn away or deport migrants coming to the southern border from countries that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even Democrats have criticized the administration for pursuing this strategy without bothering to come up with a plan to address the inevitable increase in migrant activity at the border. And earlier on Friday, a federal judge stood in the way of the administration’s plans to end the measure. As my colleague Bonchie wrote:

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction on Friday blocking the Biden administration’s move.

Now, the left has begun using the white supremacist terrorist attack in Buffalo, New York, to attack those who argue for tougher immigration policies. The gunman subscribed to the Great Replacement Theory, which posits that Jews are facilitating the importation of racial minorities to erase the white race. They are suggesting those who wish to promote only legal immigration by discouraging illegals from entering the country are in the same camp as the terrorist. Until we have a new president and control of Congress, this problem will persist. As of now, it appears we won’t be addressing it until after the 2024 election.