WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) called on the Administration to take new steps to prevent the trafficking of American firearms across the nation’s southern border and into the hands of drug cartels. In a letter to ATF Acting Director Marvin G. Richardson and ICE Acting Director Caleb Vitello, Houlahan and Ciscomani demanded action. A recent USA Today investigation revealed how thousands of American firearms have been recovered at Mexican crime scenes. 

In 2021, the Government Accountability Office released a report detailing steps that both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, and Firearms (ATF) should take to prevent the smuggling of these weapons. Years after the 2021 GAO report was first published, three recommendations remain unimplemented. 

“American weapons are fueling crimes committed by drug cartels at our southern border, in border states, and across our nation” said Houlahan. “The federal government cannot continue to ignore the recommendations of our own accountability watchdog if we want to stem this tide of violence.” 

"The trafficking of guns between the U.S. and Mexico fuels cartels and other criminal organizations that threaten the security of both our nations," said Ciscomani, who represents a district on the U.S. - Mexico border. "In 2021, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that 200,000 firearms were smuggled from the U.S. each year and issued eight recommendations to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to tackle this challenge. Yet, years have passed and three of these recommendations have not been implemented. This is why I am leading a letter with Rep. Houlahan to the Acting Directors of the ATF and ICE to implement these recommendations and finally finish cracking down on illicit gun smuggling in order to enhance the national security of both our countries.”

The unimplemented GAO recommendations include: increasing information sharing between ATF, ICE and other federal agencies about firearms recovered in Mexico; analyzing more kinds of data to establish new trends; and developing performance metrics to assess ICE and ATF’s initiatives to disrupt the flow of these weapons to criminals. The Representatives called for speedy implementation of these GAO recommendations. 

The full letter can be found here or below. 

Dear Director Dettelbach and Deputy Director Lechleitner, 

We are writing to express our concerns regarding the smuggling of guns across the southern U.S. border into Mexico. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report in 2021 on U.S. efforts to disrupt gun smuggling across our southern border into Mexico. The trafficking of firearms is a threat to the safety and security of both the U.S. and Mexico. At the time of the report, the Mexican government estimated that 200,000 firearms are smuggled from the United States each year. These guns are being used by cartels to further along illegal gun trade and have links to organized crime. The GAO has outlined the data and given recommendations on how to combat this threat to U.S. national security, but unfortunately some of these recommendations have still yet to be implemented. 

The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) found that 70 percent of firearms recovered in Mexico from 2014 to 2018 were U.S. sourced. In addition to this, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has identified smuggling trends by analyzing 1,012 firearms that were seized in the U.S. by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies. Yet, in 2021, ICE had not analyzed ATF data on roughly 56,000 U.S. firearms recovered in Mexico. More recently, a 2024 data leak of Mexican military intelligence obtained by USA TODAY traced 78,000 firearms recovered in Mexico to the United States over a period from 2018 to 2022.2 A 2024 report from the nonprofit Stop US Arms to Mexico, similarly found that of the guns recovered from criminals in Mexico in 2022, more than 15,000 could be traced to the United States. 

Some U.S. agencies have taken efforts to combat the trafficking of American firearms to Mexico. In April of 2020, the ATF established “Operation Southbound” to coordinate with other agencies to stop the smuggling of firearms. According to the White House, that program continues to make gains, seizing 2,000 firearms in the first of FY23 – 65.8% increase over the same period of FY22. More than 80,000 rounds of ammunition were also seized in the first two quarters of FY23.4 The Department of State has also made attempts to coordinate with the Mexican government to address this issue. For example, they provided $54 million to assist Mexico in building its capacity to disrupt trafficking with forensics trainings, canines trained for weapon detection, and inspection equipment. While these agencies are working to do more to combat this weapons trafficking, they must do more to share information on their investigations and to track their performance. 

When the GAO published its report in 2021, it made eight recommendations to ATF and ICE to tackle this challenge. Years later, three of these recommendations have still yet to be implemented. First, the GAO recommends that the Director of ATF, working with ICE, should identify a mechanism for sharing aggregated information with Homeland Security Investigations about firearms recovered in Mexico and traced to the United States. Second, they recommend that the Director of ICE should ensure that Homeland Security Investigations analyzes additional information – for example, data that ATF shares about U.S.-sourced firearms recovered in Mexico – to supplement its existing analysis identifying smuggling trends and patterns. Third, the Director of ICE should ensure that Homeland Security Investigations, in consultation with relevant agencies, develops performance measures to assess the results of its efforts to investigate firearms smuggling into Mexico. 

Implementing these recommendations in your respective agencies will strengthen the national security of both the United States and Mexico. These weapons are fueling the illegal operations of transnational criminals in Mexico and elsewhere in the region, including enabling their trafficking of deadly drugs. As you continue your work targeting these criminals, we ask that you prioritize implementing these recommendations within your agencies as part of this effort. 

Sincerely, 

Chrissy Houlahan, Member of Congress 

Juan Ciscomani, Member of Congress 

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