Washington, DC — At the 2025 National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Public Health and Disaster Response Task Force Co-Chairs Hawai`i Governor Josh Green and Vermont Governor Phil Scott led a discussion on “Examining the Current Status and Anticipated Plans for Borders and Ports of Entry.”
Joining Governors were Major General Win Burkett, Director of Operations, National Guard Bureau; David BeMiller, Deputy Chief, U.S. Border Patrol; and Selwyn Smith, Deputy Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations(HSI).
“As Governors, we are focused on public safety and responding to the many impacts from trafficking, including drugs like fentanyl, people and guns. This is a very relevant conversation for all of our states, and I believe collaboration is key to tackling this challenge,” said Governor Scott.
“The people that attend these sessions are leaders in their field and share with us their wisdom,” said Governor Green. “So we feel these National Governor Association meetings are critically important and very effective.”
During the discussion General Burkett highlighted the transformation of the National Guard since 2001, from a strategic reserve to a force that now serves daily operations including overseas missions and homeland defense, with a particular note of medical and cyber capabilities. BeMiller emphasized the rise of fentanyl and increased risk to border patrol agents, as well as the importance of partnerships with the DOD and state and local authorities, to provide a unified approach to counter challenges we face. Smith discussed HSI’s strategy to combat illicit opioids by reducing the supply domestically and globally, and targeting precursor chemicals used in the manufacturing of fentanyl.
The full session can be viewed below, or on YouTube.
