CBP Assistant Commissioner Gina Testifies on Border Security and Partnerships, Collaborations with Mexico

(Thursday, May 27, 2010)

Testimony of Allen Gina, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Intelligence and Operations Coordination, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, before the House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Terrorism and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere.

Chairmen Cuellar and Engel, Ranking Members Miller and Mack, and members of the Subcommittees, it is a privilege and an honor to appear before you today to discuss the work of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), particularly the tremendous dedication of our men and women in the field.

My testimony today focuses on CBP’s efforts to increase overall border security as well as CBP’s partnerships and cooperative efforts with the Government of Mexico. These efforts are key components of the National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy in which CBP plays a crucial role. With greater resources than ever before along the southwest border and historic partnerships with Mexico, I am confident that these efforts have yielded concrete results. That said, we will continue to build upon our capabilities to further improve the security of our borders. Key to our success is our ability to leverage partnerships with federal, state, local and tribal governments in the United States, as well as with our Mexican counterparts. Our work is transnational, and we look to leverage our combined strengths to combat violence along the southwest border.

CBP has a workforce of over 58,000 employees and is the largest uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the country. During the first six months of FY 2010, CBP seized nearly half a million pounds of drugs and encountered more than 113,000 inadmissible aliens at our ports of entry. We also seized over 1.3 million pounds of drugs, made 245,000 apprehensions, and seized more than $8 million in currency between our ports of entry. Compared to previous years, CBP has seen the overall apprehensions of illegal aliens decrease from our highest point of over one million apprehensions in FY 2000. These numbers demonstrate the effectiveness of our layered approach to security, comprised of a balance of tactical infrastructure, technology, and personnel at our borders.

Some Mexican cities along the border continue to experience high levels of drug-related violence. Despite isolated instances of violence, we have not seen violence on the U.S. side of the border on the same scale as the violence that our Mexican counterparts are battling every day. Today, Ciudad Juarez is considered the most dangerous city in the Western Hemisphere while, El Paso, right across the border, is considered one of the safest cities in the United States. Still, violence on the U.S. side of the border remains a threat. Our personnel – among the most highly trained and best equipped in the United States – are poised to meet it.

Border Security Between the Ports of Entry

In deploying resources between the ports of entry, the Border Patrol seeks to incorporate the appropriate mix of tactical infrastructure, technology, and personnel to allow us to confront the criminal element. This three-pronged strategic balance of resources reflects the reality that one of these elements cannot, in and of itself, secure our nation’s borders. Personnel provide the flexibility to engage the criminal element; tactical infrastructure supports response by either providing access to the Border Patrol or extending the time needed for the response; and technology allows us to detect entries and to identify and classify threats.

Over the past year, we have significantly strengthened each of the three major elements of our border security approach. Currently we have over 20,000 Border Patrol Agents on board nationwide, more than ever before in the history of the Border Patrol. As of May 14, 2010, we had approximately 646 miles of fencing constructed along the southwest border. We have purchased and deployed 41 mobile surveillance systems (MSSs) to provide added radar and camera coverage along the borders, with plans to purchase additional off-the-shelf technology in FY 2010 and FY 2011. The work performed by CBP’s Office of Air and Marine (OAM) augments these systems, providing 284 aircraft and 253 marine vessels located at 79 operating branches, units, and support sites across the nation. CBP additionally uses six Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and associated ground control stations as a more sustained surveillance platform. CBP has been working extensively with the Federal Aviation Administration on expanding UAS flights into airspace along the Texas / Mexico border, and recently obtained approval for UAS flights in West Texas effective June 1, 2010.

CBP’s Border Patrol International Liaison Units continue to play an integral part in the Border Violence Protocols established between the U.S. and Mexico to improve communication and ensure timely deployment of resources on both sides of the southwest border and maintain positive working relationships with their Mexican counterparts. These alliances increase border security and ensure expedited response times to critical border incidents through coordinated efforts with Mexican authorities, as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Border Security at the Ports of Entry

The FY 2010 President’s Budget requested additional CBP Officers, Border Patrol agents, and support for the expansion of CBP’s License Plate Reader program, which assists in combating southbound firearms and currency smuggling. Congress provided those funds, and additionally provided funds for Non-Intrusive Inspection equipment, as well as additional Border Patrol agents and CBP Officers particularly to staff outbound operations. CBP remains committed to continuing southbound border enforcement efforts to combat the smuggling of firearms and currency to Mexico.

In March 2009, CBP created the Outbound Programs Division within its Office of Field Operations. This division creates plans to stem the outbound flow of firearms, currency, stolen vehicles, and fugitives from the United States. CBP also increased its use of “pulse and surgeâ€