Senator Maria Cantwell and 21 Senators Ask President Bush for Funds to Strengthen the Northern Border as Part of the Homeland Defense Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today sent President George W. Bush a letter, co-signed by 21 Senators, asking the President to allocate money from the $40 billion emergency supplemental appropriations bill to strengthen the border between the United States and Canada. 

In light of the terrorist attacks, the Senators requested the President to bring a serious, new focus to weaknesses on the northern border as part of the Homeland Defense initiative.  They asked that the money be allocated to actions that will protect the nation while reducing delays to those engaging in legitimate business and travel.  Specifically, the Senators asked the President to:

1)      Triple the number of Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), Border Patrol and Customs Service agents and inspectors along the northern border;

2)      Improve infrastructure at key ports of entry in order to more meticulously search and efficiently move cross border traffic and persons; and

3)      Provide INS with greater access to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database to determine whether visa applicants and applicants for admission have criminal records and history, and expediting the implementation of technological advances such as the non-intrusive inspection and IDENT/IAFIS systems. 

The text of the letter follows:

September 26, 2001

President George W. Bush

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, D.C.  20500

Dear Mr. President:

We would like, first of all, to congratulate you on the tremendous leadership that you have shown in the weeks since September 11, and to offer you our support in the war against terrorism.

As Senators representing the states that make up or have particular concerns about the northern border of the United States, we would also like to alert you to our very serious concerns about the critical shortage of human and technological resources on that border.  Many government reports have described the northern border vulnerabilities, and unfortunately events have shown that these weaknesses are not merely hypothetical.  The northern border has become uniquely vulnerable to international terrorists using Canada as a staging ground for planned operations on our soil.

There are currently 300 Border Patrol Agents assigned to patrol the entire 4,000 miles of the northern border, in contrast to 8,000 agents on the southern border.  The 1999 incident with Ahmed Ressam, a recent report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and the apparent prologue to the events of September 11 point to the dangers of neglecting our northern border.  In addition, due to staffing disparities the recent Senate Commerce-Justice­­-State Appropriations Report noted that agents on the northern border are fourteen times more likely to encounter aliens involved with smuggling weapons, and nine times more likely to encounter aliens involved with smuggling drugs than agents on the southern border.

Now more than ever, the ability of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and Customs Service to process people and goods entering our nation both efficiently and thoroughly is essential to ensure the national security and economic prosperity of the United States.  We are pleased that both the Fiscal Year 2002 Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill and the Commerce-Justice­­-State Appropriations bill contain funding increases for personnel and equipment.  More, however, must be done.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Customs Service will play an important role in responding to the mission you have outlined.  We strongly encourage you to apply a portion of the funds, not directed to New York and other impacted states and communities for relief and economic assistance, provided by the 2001 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States to urgent requirements along the northern border. 

In particular, we ask that you consider: 1) tripling the number of INS, Border Patrol and Customs Service agents and inspectors along the northern border; 2)  improving infrastructure and technology at key ports of entry in order to more meticulously search and efficiently move cross border traffic and persons; and 3) providing INS with greater access to the FBI’s NCIC database to determine whether visa applicants and applicants for admission have criminal records and history, and expediting the implementation of technological advances such as the non-intrusive inspection and IDENT/IAFIS systems.  These enhancements along our northern border will serve to protect our nation while reducing delays to those engaging in legitimate business and travel.

We look forward to working with you toward the common goal of strengthening our national security through an improved border presence.

Sincerely, 

[original signed by:] 

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