Rep. Kirkpatrick Introduces Bill To Expand Border Patrol, Increase Security For Southwest

Floor Speech

Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, Arizona's only Member on the House Committee on Homeland Security, today took a step forward in pushing Washington to provide the manpower necessary to secure the border and protect the state's communities. She introduced the Southern Border Security Act to hire, train and deploy 3,500 new U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents along the Mexican border by the end of next year -- significantly impacting security efforts and creating jobs in the Southwest.

While she is working for the National Guard to be deployed to the border as a stopgap, Rep. Kirkpatrick has consistently called for the Border Patrol to be built up to meet our public safety needs in the long run. In total, this bill will mean a 20 percent increase in USBP agents in the region, giving a considerable boost to efforts to stop drug, gun, cash and human smuggling, crack down on the Mexican cartels and prevent drug war violence from spilling over into this country.

The Congresswoman has also made jobs and ending the downturn her top priority, and cites the new positions added by this bill as a shot in the arm for the Southwest's economy. The area has been hit hard during some of the worst economic times in decades, and putting thousands of people to work should help Arizona and its neighboring states in their push to get back on track.

"Arizonans have been dealing with the consequences of Washington's failed policies along the border for too long. The federal government needs to finally take responsibility, and getting the boots on the ground to secure the border over the long term is a critical step in the right direction," said Rep. Kirkpatrick. "Expanding the Border Patrol will keep Arizonans safe in a dangerous time and offer new, well-paying jobs in an important field. It is great for public safety and great for our economy.

"This is something folks have been talking about for a long time, and it is time to get the ball rolling."

Rep. Kirkpatrick has been a leader on border security issues in her first term. Last spring, she introduced the Border Violence Prevention Act of 2009 to provide Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with improved weapons, better body armor and the modern technology they need to get the job done, along with legislation to give local, state and tribal law enforcement in Arizona new access to resources and information.

She also introduced the Anti-Cash Smuggling Act of 2010 to allow CBP and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel to crack down on cartel use of stored value and prepaid cards to launder money, led the campaign against the White House's proposed budget cuts to the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), and personally toured security operations along the border.

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