Drug czar touts border wall to help stem influx of drugs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — President Donald Trump's drug czar says the president's plan for a U.S.-Mexico border wall would save American lives by helping stem the flow of illegal drugs into the country.

During a Monday visit to Kentucky, drug czar Jim Carroll said the president's long-promised border wall would deter drug smugglers looking to penetrate the U.S. away from ports.

Carroll was asked about the wall during a visit to a substance abuse treatment center in Louisville.

He was accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has stuck with the president during Trump's fight with Congress over his national emergency declaration along the Mexican border.

McConnell and Carroll emphasized law enforcement and treatment and recovery programs to combat substance abuse.

Carroll urged employers to consider hiring people who have overcome substance abuse.