Miller and King Statements on Obama Administration Decision to Extend National Guard Deployment on Southwest Border

Press Release

Today, Representative Candice Miller (MI-10), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border & Maritime Security, and Representative Peter T. King (NY-3), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statements on the Obama Administration's decision to extend the deployment of National Guard personnel along the Southwest border. On April 1, Miller, King and eight other Committee Republicans sent a letter to President Obama calling for such an extension.

Miller statement: "The decision to extend the National Guard's presence along the Southwest border is the right one. They serve as valuable force multipliers for our security operations on the Southwest border and assist Border Patrol Agents with weapons and drugs interdiction and curbing illegal border crossings. However, I am concerned that the short duration of the extension does not send the message to the drug cartels that we are serious about securing our border long-term. Short--term fixes are not an adequate substitute for a well-thought out plan to secure the border. I continue to call on the President to provide Congress with a comprehensive plan to secure the border. Our nation needs a clear roadmap to finally secure our borders, which is why I introduced legislation that directs the Secretary of DHS to develop a strategy for securing the borders within five years."

King statement: "The Obama Administration's extension of the National Guard deployment is a step in the right direction. I appreciate that the Administration took our request seriously. But we need to see more and bigger steps in this direction. Given the very serious problems to be addressed along the Southwest border, this short three-month extension of a small number of troops is at best a half measure. The Obama Administration must make securing the border a top priority."

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