House Passes Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, Includes Rep. Cuellar's Priorities

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Homeland Security funding bill, including specific language added by Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX28). Cuellar's additions include a call for a review of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer training to ensure professionalism, and the addition of a provision which makes costs of providing care, transportation, and humanitarian relief to undocumented immigrants eligible for reimbursement under certain Homeland Security grants in addition to other provisions.

Though the legislation included his important additions, Cuellar was forced to vote against the bill due to the addition of anti-immigration amendments that roll back President Obama's recent executive action.

"The inclusion of this language is extremely important to Texans along the border, and it's unfortunate that House Republicans played politics with this legislation and insisted on adding amendments that will jeopardize national security funding," Congressman Cuellar said. "My hope is that we will have the opportunity to vote on a clean Homeland Security appropriations bill that serves our border communities and strengthens the middle class--without the anti-immigration amendments."

The language Cuellar added requires the Commissioner of the Customs and Border Protection to review training manuals and coursework as well as incident reporting practices within the agency. The focus of this language is to make sure that customs and border patrol officials are trained to interact respectfully with those crossing the border. Furthermore, the addition to the bill asks that CBP report to the Committee on their findings of their review within 60 days.

Additional language adds a provision which makes costs of providing humanitarian relief to unaccompanied alien children and to alien adults and their minor children eligible for reimbursement under certain Homeland Security grants to Southwest border recipients for fiscal years 2013 and 2014. The influx of unaccompanied alien children and families that came across the Southwest border overwhelmed federal resources and put a burden on state and local jurisdictions, particularly small counties, cities, and non-profits along the border.

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