The Senators have urged members of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, and the Judiciary and the Subcommittee on Treasury and General Government to support critical, additional personnel and technology needs for the three agencies responsible for monitoring people coming into and leaving the United States.
"We made progress in the last budget toward increasing our monitoring capabilities," said Senators Snowe and Collins, "but continued increased funding for staffing and expanded use of technology for security and processing is essential to the economic vitality and physical security of both our northern border states and the nation."
The Senators want the number of Customs, Border Patrol, and INS agents and inspectors tripled in each northern border state as authorized by the USA-PATRIOT Act, and are urging the Subcommittees to appropriate the necessary funding.
"The hardworking men and women of the Customs Service, the Border Patrol, and the INS are our first line of defense against terrorism, smuggling, money laundering, and narcotics, while facilitating millions of dollars in legitimate international tourism and trade each day," the Senators said.
Customs officers on the northern border process 62 percent of all trucks, 85 percent of all trains, and 23 percent of all passengers and pedestrians entering the country each year. INS and Border Patrol are responsible for monitoring a border that is nearly 4,000 miles long. Each day, more than 260,000 people – an annual total of 96 million – enter the United States from Canada. The officers deployed along the border from these agencies, however, represent a minority of the total officers deployed nationwide.
"For these agencies to perform their duties on the northern border – especially at a level one alert status – they must have the human and technological resources necessary," the Senators said.