EL PASO, Texas — The Trump administration says the days of drug cartels operating with impunity are ending, pointing to what it calls significant progress in stopping fentanyl at the southern border.

That message was delivered in El Paso by Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Sara A. Carter, during a visit focused on border security and the fight against deadly narcotics.

“This border wall is not only to stop the illegal crossing of people but also the crossing of drugs,” Carter said during a press conference, emphasizing the administration’s strategy to curb fentanyl trafficking into the United States.

“To the cartels, your days are numbered. It is over. You will no longer be allowed to operate with impunity in our nation,” she said.

According to Carter, fentanyl and other narcotics flowing across the border have caused the deaths of thousands of Americans, including children.

“Many of them are children poisoned by fentanyl and other narcotics that pour into this country,” she said.

During her stop in El Paso, Carter highlighted the story of 19-year-old Joshua Randazzo, who died from a fentanyl overdose. His mother, Lorrie Randazzo, was invited to the event as an example of what Carter described as the human cost behind the administration’s crackdown.

“What they grow up with today is not what we grew up with,” Randazzo said. “Fentanyl is deadly enough, but now there’s xylazine and lidocaine they are putting in it. You just gotta be so careful.”

Carter also outlined what she described as results from the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, citing a 56% reduction in fentanyl trafficking at the southern border, the blocking of over 10,000 individuals with alleged cartel or narco terrorism ties from entering the country and a nearly 21% decrease in overdose deaths nationwide.

“We designated fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction to rapidly dismantle trafficking networks,” Carter said.

While Randazzo said she supports the administration’s efforts, she believes the actions have come too late for her family.

“I wish that this had been a long time ago; maybe my son would still be here,” she said. “They are working hard because, as I said, this is not a political war, this is a human war.”

Carter closed her remarks with a warning to parents across the country, urging them to talk to their children about the dangers of fentanyl.

“Warn your children, warn your friends, warn your family,” Carter said. “You think you might be going to a party, but you may never come home, and that’s the reality that we are living in now.”