# Plain Language Summary: No More Narcos Act

This bill creates a public education campaign and federal strategy aimed at preventing young people in border communities from getting recruited by drug cartels and criminal organizations. The Attorney General's office, working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal agencies, would have one year to launch an informational campaign teaching middle and high school students about the dangers of working with cartels or smuggling organizations. At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security would develop a broader national strategy to combat cartels that are actively recruiting minors to participate in illegal smuggling and trafficking activities.

The campaign would specifically target students who live within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, since these communities face the most direct recruitment pressure from criminal organizations. The bill recognizes that cartels often target young people for relatively low-risk jobs like lookouts, couriers, or spotters, gradually pulling them deeper into criminal activity. By educating students early about these recruitment tactics and the real consequences of involvement, the bill aims to reduce the number of minors who get drawn into cartel operations.

To fund these efforts, the bill taps into money seized from criminals through federal asset forfeiture—essentially using money and property confiscated from criminal enterprises to pay for the education campaign and strategy development. This means the program wouldn't require new taxpayer funding, but rather would use existing criminal proceeds already in government hands. The bill is relatively modest in scope, focusing on prevention and awareness rather than enforcement or punishment, and it emphasizes coordination between federal agencies, schools, and local authorities to create a comprehensive approach to protecting young people in vulnerable border communities.