Authorizing Coast Guard Mobile Biometric Idetification Program

Floor Speech

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of legislation I have introduced, H.R. 2490, which would codify and expand a Coast Guard pilot program to collect biometric information on aliens interdicted at sea. I want to thank Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson for his willingness to move this bill through our committee and to the floor for consideration today. I also want to thank Peter King, our ranking member, for his support of this measure and his determined effort to strengthen our homeland security, first as chairman of our committee and now as ranking member. I am honored to serve with both of these great men.

The House unanimously adopted H.R. 2490 as an amendment to the Coast Guard Authorization Act several months ago. However, I believe it is important for this body to act on H.R. 2490 independently, given the uncertain prospect for enactment of the Coast Guard bill in this Congress.

My bill requires the Coast Guard to move forward on its biometrics at sea effort within 1 year and provide a cost analysis to Congress on expanding these capabilities to other Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security vessels and units. As part of this analysis, my bill also encourages DHS to give priority to expanding mobile biometric collection capability to assets and areas that are most likely to encounter illegal border crossings in the maritime environment.

The efforts of the Coast Guard in this area show great promise. Since the collection of limited biometrics on individuals interdicted at sea began, the Coast Guard has collected biometric data from 1,530 migrants, resulting in nearly 30 matches against databases of wanted criminals, immigration violators and others who have previously encountered government authorities. Instead of being released to repeat their dangerous and illegal behavior, these individuals are now detained and prosecuted. The U.S. Attorney's Office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has prosecuted more than 118 individuals for violations of U.S. immigration laws and other offenses based substantially on information obtained through the biometrics program.

The Coast Guard reports that illegal migration in the Mono Pass, an area between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, has been reduced by 50 percent in just the past year as a result of the biometrics program. By leveraging its relationships with DHS, the Coast Guard now has access to millions of fingerprint files it can use to positively identify individuals encountered at sea, those who are without identification and are suspected of attempting to illegally enter the United States.

Now that the Coast Guard has determined the most effective way to collect biometrics at sea, the Department of Homeland Security needs to determine the most appropriate way to move forward and expand this effort as cost effectively as possible, which is what my bill requires. Given the success of existing efforts on biometrics by the Coast Guard, I believe that it is imperative that we move forward on this bill so that these efforts are cost effective and will do the most good.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the collection of biometrics at sea by the Coast Guard is already helping greatly deter illegal migration and prevent the capture and release of dangerous individuals so we are not releasing them anymore, and that is very important.

I urge all of my colleagues to help further that effort by voting for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield back the balance of my time, I urge this House to consider both the authorization and appropriations bills this year, the Homeland Security authorization and appropriations bills.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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