The federal HALT Fentanyl Act advancing through Congress would increase prison time for fentanyl traffickers.

Kentuckians convicted on distribution charges involving more than 10 grams of fentanyl would receive at least five years in prison, or no fewer than 10 if they had a prior conviction. For cases involving larger amounts of the substance and a second conviction, the minimum sentence would be 20 years.

Shreeta Waldon, executive director of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, said the legislation will have little effect on helping individuals and families who lives are affected by substance use.

"It's been a failed concept but we continue to try to use that same concept with different language," Waldon contended. "We're just dealing with the War on Drugs 2.0."

According to the 2023 Kentucky Drug Overdose Fatality Report, nearly 2,000 Kentuckians lost their lives last year to a drug overdose. Fentanyl accounted for almost 80% of those deaths, and methamphetamine accounted for around 55%.

Waldon pointed out a lack of education about fentanyl and other drugs has contributed to a spike in use among the Commonwealth's youngest residents, despite an overall decline in fentanyl-related death rates statewide.

"Now we're seeing more and more reports of youth who are having building an inappropriate relationship with substance," Waldon reported. "That is a big issue in our larger cities like Louisville and Lexington."

She added a major concern is the dwindling local resources for harm reduction strategies, noting recently passed state laws to criminalize camping and homelessness have created additional barriers.

"We're penalizing poverty," Waldon argued. "We're penalizing substance use disorder or chaotic use. We're penalizing people who do not realize the access to resources around them because of messaging, because of stigma, because of shame."

The HALT Fentanyl Act would reclassify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs. Currently, fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance. In 2021, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration made more than 3,000 arrests nationwide for fentanyl.


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Local law enforcement agencies, including in North Dakota, are decrying a move by the Trump administration to label some jurisdictions as "sanctuaries" over perceived differences related to immigration arrests.

The Department of Homeland Security last week released a list of jurisdictions, including cities and counties it said were "deliberately obstructing" enforcement of federal immigration laws. In response, some local departments said their city or county never adopted such a policy.

Steve Hunt, sheriff of Traill County and president of the North Dakota Sheriff's and Deputies Association, said none of the departments listed for his state should have been mentioned.

"I was extremely disappointed and frankly, angry," Hunt recounted. "On a much grander scale, it does have an effect."

Hunt said he is still willing to work with federal partners in detaining a person under deportation orders, but he said politics should not be mixed with the mission of upholding the law. The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for comment but has taken down the list from its website after local pushback.

Some law enforcement observers wondered if there were clerical errors in creating the list but policy experts said the administration is applying more pressure to boost deportation numbers, and one way to do so is threatening to cut off federal funds for not complying.

Local departments said they were not told about compliance problems and Hunt stressed North Dakota offices were kept in the dark.

"We don't know what criteria was used or what substantiated being placed on that list," Hunt noted. "That's probably the most frustrating part."

Even if a local department backs the current administration, groups said what happened erodes trust with federal leadership. The "sanctuary city" movement is often aligned with left-leaning cities or counties limiting local involvement with federal immigration authorities. Supporters of the laws insist it does not block Immigration and Customs Enforcement from doing its work.


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More states are considering "clean state" laws, which establish a process to automatically seal records of most misdemeanor criminal charges.

Experts said West Virginia continues to rely on an antiquated record-keeping system for criminal records, and despite incremental steps to make expungement easier, most residents with a criminal history face difficult barriers getting their records cleaned.

Logan Seacrest, resident fellow for criminal justice and civil liberties at the center-right think tank R Street Institute, said most states rely on a petition-based system to expunge old criminal records, which is complex and expensive. He explained when people cannot clear their records, they are less likely to get a job or find safe housing.

"Most reasonable people would agree that a single error shouldn't permanently define one's future," Seacrest pointed out. "Yet the current system we have in most states, even a minor conviction, something like a DUI or a nonviolent drug offense, can have lifelong ramifications."

Earlier this year West Virginia lawmakers considered legislation which would have expanded eligibility for expungement to individuals who did complete successful rehabilitation programs or individuals enrolled in some type of diversionary program but the bill did not make it through the legislature.

Seacrest noted research shows one of the best ways to reduce recidivism is to help former offenders secure meaningful employment. He added there are economic benefits for some of the nation's largest employers.

"It's been hard for companies to hire good people," Seacrest observed. "Actually, people who get employment after a conviction, through a clean slate, are no less likely to quit early."

People out of prison continue to experience extreme rates of unemployment, around six of every 10 people being jobless from the time of release to four years after release, according to federal data.


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After President Donald Trump's decision to dismiss lawsuits and drop federal accountability agreements with several police departments, Mississippi advocacy groups are joining the ACLU to expand accountability efforts through the "Seven States Campaign."

Trump's decision includes pausing a pattern and practice probe in the Rankin County "Goon Squad" case, in which six law enforcement officers were sentenced for torturing and sexually assaulting two Black men during a January 2023 home raid.

Joshua Tom, legal director for the ACLU of Mississippi, said such offenses make oversight necessary.

"The 'Goon Squad' case, I think, is a very egregious example of law enforcement engaging in illegal misconduct when performing its duties," Tom asserted.

Investigations found the squad operated for years with impunity. The campaign has now filed requests for all use-of-force reports and taser deployment records from the Rankin County Sheriff's Department since 2020.

Tom argued a lack of federal oversight leaves gaps in accountability.

"You know there is only so many civil rights organizations that can step up on behalf of people who have been harmed by police officers," Tom acknowledged. "That's what the importance of the Department of Justice is, for ensuring that law enforcement agencies are respecting civil rights laws, because they act as a backstop."

The Trump administration said it wants to prioritize violent crime prosecution over police reform.


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