Southwest Border Security Threat Assessment Act of 2016

Floor Speech

I rise in support of H.R. 4482, the Southwest Border Security Threat Assessment Act of 2016.

H.R. 4482 would help enhance the Department of Homeland Security's border security efforts by enhancing DHS' understanding of the relevant vulnerabilities and capabilities and by requiring a strategic plan to ensure border security personnel, technology, and infrastructure resources are being used to their fullest.

Specifically, the bill would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to assess vulnerabilities and capabilities on the southwest border to help counter threats and illegal activities. The assessment is to include an analysis of the improvements needed at and between the ports of entry; gaps in law and policy between State, local, and tribal law enforcement and international agreements that hinder border security efforts; the flow of legitimate trade along the southwest border; and the percentage of situational awareness and operational control achieved by DHS in the region. The bill also requires the Chief of the Border Patrol to issue a Border Patrol Strategic Plan every 5 years based on this assessment.

Last month, the bill was reported to the House by the Committee on Homeland Security after the inclusion of provisions that were offered by the ranking member, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), in order to strengthen an already good, commonsense bill.

H.R. 4482 would help the DHS and the Border Patrol, in particular, to understand and to mitigate border security threats, to improve coordination and cooperation between DHS' border security components and partners, and to increase situational awareness along the border.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4482.

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