Aug 21, 03:33 PM

Times Square Vigil Highlights U.S. Fentanyl Crisis and New Enforcement Law

The United States observed National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day on Thursday with a public vigil and informational displays in New York’s Times Square, organized by advocacy group Facing Fentanyl. Federal agencies used the occasion to underscore the scale of the synthetic-opioid crisis and highlight new enforcement tools approved earlier this year. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it is expanding interdiction operations at ports of entry and along the southwest border, part of a broader strategy to disrupt production and distribution networks. The Justice Department added that the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized about 30 million fentanyl pills and 6,000 pounds of powder so far in 2025—enough lethal doses to kill millions of people. Lawmakers sponsoring the HALT Fentanyl Act noted that President Joe Biden signed the measure, along with a reconciliation package, during the summer. The law permanently places fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and provides additional funding for border security and state and local law-enforcement programs. Advocates and officials alike framed the day as both a memorial for the hundreds of thousands of Americans lost to fentanyl overdoses and a call for sustained prevention, treatment and enforcement efforts.