President Signs into Law Heitkamp, Ayotte Bipartisan Bill to Protect Northern Border

Press Release

U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, today announced that the president signed into law their bipartisan bill to assess and strengthen American security at the Northern Border - the longest common land border in the world - to make sure North Dakota's communities remain strong and safe.

Now law, Heitkamp and Ayotte's bill requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to evaluate security threats at the border through a comprehensive examination of current resources and personnel levels. The assessments Heitkamp and Ayotte's bill calls for will help tackle the challenges federal border security officials and local sheriffs face in coordination among law enforcement, and issues recruiting and retaining a strong border security workforce. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved Heitkamp and Ayotte's bipartisan Northern Border Security Review Act late last month, just weeks after their bill unanimously passed in the U.S. Senate.

"When it comes to protecting North Dakota's rural communities along our nation's 5,500-mile long Northern Border, we need to take steps now to address any challenges before security issues arise," said Heitkamp. "While meeting with the dedicated border agents and officers who serve in incredibly remote locations like Portal and Pembina, many told me about the difficulty they face in recruiting and retaining the workforce they need to keep our communities safe. I heard their concerns loud and clear, and with this new law, we can begin bolstering security along the longest common law border in the world by giving them the tools and resources to keep our communities and families strong and safe."

"I'm proud that our bipartisan bill to help secure our northern border is now becoming law, as keeping New Hampshire and our country safe has always been one of my top priorities," said Ayotte. "We are facing unprecedented national security challenges that demand a full understanding of the northern border's needs, strengths, and vulnerabilities. I applaud New Hampshire's law enforcement community, especially those serving Coos County, for their work to protect the border and look forward to the implementation of this law to help further support their efforts. I also want to thank Senator Heitkamp for her partnership and dedication to getting this important measure signed into law."

At 5,500 miles long, including 1,500 miles between Alaska and Canada, the Northern Border has 120 border crossings, many of which are small and in rural areas.

Approximately 300,000 people and $910 million in trade cross the Northern Border every day, representing the largest bilateral flow of goods and people in the world. Heitkamp and Ayotte's bill would require a comprehensive examination of how to strengthen American security at the Northern Border by looking into issues with:

* Recruiting and retaining border security officials to cover the Northern Border, including at more remote areas of the border;
* Determining tools border security officials need to effectively combat drug and human trafficking at the Northern Border;
* Identifying technology that could expand the reach of border agents; and
* Finding vulnerabilities in cooperation between Canadian, state, county, local, and tribal law enforcement.

Cosponsors of Heitkamp and Ayotte's bill include Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Click here to view a summary of the bill.

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