Today the House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism held an important hearing on border security legislation introduced during the 110th Congress. The hearing, entitled “The Border Security Challenge: Recent Developments and Legislative Proposals,” brought together key leaders in Congress and the Administration, including recent Border Trade Alliance (BTA) international conference speakers Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Assistant Commissioner Thomas Winkowski, to discuss the merits of legislation addressing security at U.S. international borders with Canada and Mexico.
Congressman Reyes’ PORTS Act (H.R. 5662), which is strongly supported by the BTA and authorizes increased staffing and infrastructural investment at U.S. border crossings, was among the prominent legislative proposals discussed during the hearing.
The consistent theme among witnesses testimony before the subcommittee was best summarized by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) who stated:
“…the Department (of Homeland Security (DHS)) needs a comprehensive strategy for border security. The current piecemeal approach is not the answer. I look forward to a constructive discussion about how best to secure our Nation`s borders and to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop effective, common-sense border security solutions.”
The BTA, through its active role in DHS and the Department of State’s Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee and in prior testimony before the House Homeland Security subcommittee, has continually advocated for a comprehensive, national strategy to provide for the economic and physical security of our border regions and ports of entry.
Leave a Reply
The BTA reserves the right to post comments it feels are appropriate to creating a dialog around border issues. We are interested in hearing from all points of view and encourage those with unique, constructive perspectives to contribute their view points to help shape the future of our borders. BTA is a tri-national organization and will not accept posts that contain derogatory comments made towards citizens, groups, or organizations of any kind.