President Donald J. Trump’s Weekly Address

March 31, 2018

My fellow Americans,

Every day, an average of 116 Americans die from an opioid-related overdose. This is a national crisis that demands immediate action. That is why last week, I traveled to New Hampshire to announce the steps my Administration is taking to combat this deadly epidemic.

Our plan has three major parts: reducing drug demand by focusing on prevention so people don’t get addicted in the first place; reducing drug supply, including getting tough on traffickers and dealers, and when I say ‘tough,’ I’m talking about really tough because it’s the only language they understand; increasing drug treatment to get life-saving help to those who really need it.

But if our brave federal agents are going to be successful in stopping this deadly epidemic, then we must stop lawless sanctuary cities. Sanctuary cities release thousands of dangerous criminal aliens into our communities – including drug traffickers, drug dealers, and vicious gang members.

In fact, several of the criminal aliens who got away in Oakland after the mayor helped them evade capture have already committed new crimes – crimes that could have been easily prevented if not for Oakland’s dangerous sanctuary policies.

It is no coincidence that six of the biggest heroin markets in the United States are sanctuary cities. More than 40 percent of heroin coming across the southern border is transported through California – a sanctuary state. Drug cartels have transformed sanctuary cities like Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York into major distribution centers, because the criminal aliens in the drug trade know that local politicians will help them evade authorities.

Sanctuary cities put innocent Americans at the mercy of hardened criminals and heartless drug dealers. These are bad people. We want our cities to be safe havens for Americans, not criminal aliens. It is time for Congress to cut off funds for sanctuary cities and to close the loopholes that allow drugs and criminals to violate our borders.

We are going to stop the flow of deadly drugs. We are going to get help to those who need it. And we are going to end the scourge of addiction in America.

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.