On Thursday the House Homeland Security Committee held a field hearing in El Paso, Texas entitled, “Ensuring Homeland Security While Facilitating Legitimate Travel: The Challenge at America’s Ports of Entry.” GSA Administrator Lurita Doan, CBP Assistant Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski and Richard Stana Director, Homeland Security and Justice at the Government Accountability Office were among those providing testimony. The primary focus of the field hearing was to address the concerns of growing wait-times at our nation’s ports of entry.
Below are highlights from yesterday’s field hearing, for full copies of witness testimony please click here.
“It is my hope, however, that today’s hearing will help us continue to work together to better secure our nation’s ports of entry, and improve the lives of those who call border communities home.”
- House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS)“As you well know, there is an urgent need in the nation to rethink the way we plan, design and build our ports of entry. We need new energy and new ideas. Over the past 15 years or so, our trade across the borders has dramatically increased while the capacity of our land ports of entry to handle this new traffic has not kept pace. To solve this problem, we are going to have to think differently.”
- GSA Administrator Lurita Doan“CBP’s frontline officers and agents will continue to protect America from the terrorist threat while also accomplishing our traditional missions in immigration, customs, and agriculture, all while balancing our enforcement missions with the need to effectively facilitate the flow of legitimate trade and travel.”
- CBP Assistant Commissioner Thomas S. Winkowski
Last year the Border Trade Alliance launched a successful grassroots campaign to educate Congress, the media and businesses and residents of border communities about the increased delays at our ports of entry. The issue of wait-times remains a major policy priority for the BTA and we are continuing our efforts to share information and recommendations with policy-makers in Washington, D.C. to address this critical issue in U.S. border communities.
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