The letter was sent to Chairman Harold Rogers of the House Appropriations Committee, Nina Lowey, who is a ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee as well as John Carter, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security and David Price, a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security Appropriations. The letter urged members “to prioritize spending so that robust resources may be allocated to Customs and Border Protection so that they may carry out their critical missions of facilitating trade while also securing our borders.”
“Border security is of the utmost concern when considering the protection of our homeland. It is a key facet of the federal government’s most important and legitimate role, which is to protect our nation from potential threats. The United States is also a nation of laws and CBP is on the front lines of the struggle to enforce the rule of law,” wrote the representatives.
The representatives argued, “CBP works tirelessly to monitor our nation’s borders and ensure that illegal activity is minimized. The agents in the field risk their lives to track, deter, and prevent all sorts of smuggling activities including human trafficking. The porous border is an imminent national security threat to the United States, as such a state of affairs could lead to the smuggling of terrorists or components of weapons of mass destruction.”
According to the letter, CBP’s own statistics show that agents made over 420,000 apprehensions on the border in FY2013, up from 364,000 in FY2012, and 340,000 in FY2011. “Given these increases, it is evident that we must maintain or augment CBP’s resources so that they may keep pace with the influx of activity at the border.”
Congressmen noted that in FY2013 alone, CBP seized 2.4 million pounds of marijuana, 4700 pounds of cocaine, and 3580 pounds of methamphetamine. “With the staggering numbers, now is not the time to reduce resources to those keeping illegal drugs off American streets. Ensuring adequate resources for CBP is important not only from a security standpoint, but also in terms of fostering economic growth. CBP facilitates an enormous amount of trade. In FY2012, the United States and Mexico engaged in nearly half a trillion or $494 billion in commerce.’
These are not Republican or Democratic issues, but rather these are national security issues and economic issues that impact the entire nation,” the letter read. “It is our collective duty as a deliberative body to ensure that we support CBP’s efforts to protect the nation and facilitate trade.”
Rep. Gosar said, “As an Arizonan, I know firsthand how important border security is to both our safety and our economy. The men and women who risk their lives daily working as Border Patrol agents not only prevent criminals, smugglers and terrorists from entering our nation illegally, but they also facilitate a half trillion dollars in annual trade between the United States and Mexico.”
“Border security is a critical element of our constitutional duty to provide for the common defense,” continued Rep. Gosar. “As such, we must ensure that Customs and Border Patrol has adequate resources to effectively execute its important mission.”