Sen. Schumer Urges Trump To Sign Fentanyl-Screening Bill

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer urged President Donald Trump to sign legislation that would allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to buy portable screening equipment to detect the powerful opioid fentanyl before it enters the United States.

Schumer said Sunday that the bill that passed both houses of Congress last year will help ensure that illicit narcotics "can be quickly detected, identified and seized on the spot."

The New York Democrat says he wants John F. Kennedy International Airport to be among the first locations to get the new high-tech drug scanners because it is a major port of entry.

"It's time to bring in the cavalry, and we need to give JFK Airport some armor," Schumer said.

Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The primary source of fentanyl is outside of the United States, in Mexico or China.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)