Experts Dispel Claims About Migrants Bringing Fentanyl Into US

Here are the morning’s top stories on Wednesday, September 4, 2024…

• Fentanyl is a dangerous narcotic that kills more than 100,000 Americans each year. Donald Trump and many other politicians say this deadly drug is regularly smuggled into the U.S. by undocumented immigrants. But experts tell KPBS, those claims are largely false. 
• Two major California health plans have been hit with a combined $850,000 in fines for illegally denying coverage for gender-affirming care.
• With just two months until the presidential election, Californians will be voting on a slew of statewide ballot measures. That includes Proposition 6, which would change the language in the state constitution which currently bans involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime.

American Citizens Smuggle More Fentanyl Into US Than Migrants, Data Shows

It’s been a running theme among many politicians, mainly Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. That the deadly drug fentanyl is regularly smuggled into the U.S. by undocumented immigrants.

The idea that more border walls and tougher enforcement on immigration will stop illegal drugs from flowing into the United States is not just a national talking point. In February, Republican San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond posted a video on social media saying that one of the things that concerns him about, “how people are just able to walk across the border and get here,” is fentanyl. The implication is that migrants crossing in remote parts of the border are bringing drugs with them.

But data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other federal agencies show the vast majority of fentanyl comes through legal ports of entry. And the people bringing it into the country are native born Americans.

Approximately 80% of people prosecuted and convicted of federal drug trafficking offenses were U.S. citizens, according to Tera McGrath, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California. “They are people who have the ability to cross but also are going to be able to slip under the radar,” McGrath said. McGrath dismissed the idea that migrants and asylum seekers fleeing violence are the ones primarily bringing fentanyl into the country. “That narrative is a dangerous misconception because that is not who we are seeing,” she said.

Health Insurer Hit With California’s Largest-Ever Penalty Over Gender-Affirming Care Denials

A major California health insurer was hit with the state’s largest-ever fines for illegally denying coverage for gender-affirming care in a case that will compel them to revise how they treat patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria. 

The $850,000 combined penalties against Anthem Blue Cross also require the insurer to hire a dedicated case manager for people with gender dysphoria. Over 150 individuals who were denied coverage for such procedures will see their cases reviewed, and most have already seen reversals, according to the decision.

The insurer is complying with the decision from the Department of Managed Health Care, a state office that regulates its industry. “We take these matters seriously and have worked directly with the Department of Managed Health Care to identify and implement specific corrective actions to address and resolve the identified matters,” wrote Mike Bowman, a spokesperson for the insurance providers, in a statement to CalMatters.

From 2017 to 2020, Anthem Blue Cross categorized over 20 surgeries such as facial implants, hair removal, voice therapy and breast augmentation as “not medically necessary.” But the procedures were covered if they  corrected “abnormal” body structures to create a “normal appearance” for “the target gender.”

Proposition 6 Campaign Launches In Sacramento

With just two months until Californians are asked to vote on a slew of ballot measures, proponents of Proposition 6 took their message to the state capitol Tuesday. They’re calling on voters to support the legislation.

The ballot measure would amend the California Constitution to prohibit the state from punishing inmates with involuntary work assignments and from disciplining those who refuse to work. Instead, state prisons could set up a volunteer work assignment program to take time off sentences in the form of credits. It would also let county or city ordinances set up a pay scale for inmates in local jails.