Higgins to Homeland Security: Don't pull resources from northern border

CBP announced plans to move officers stationed at US/Canada border & airports to southern border

Congressman Brian Higgins is objecting to the Trump administration’s plan to relocate Customs and Border Protection officers currently stationed in airports and on the border between the U.S. and Canada to serve along the southern border.

“While the challenges at the northern border are different than that at the southern border, they are no less significant,” Higgins said. “This administration’s efforts to divert personnel from our border with Canada, and U.S. airports, expands our national security and economic challenges, rather than addressing them in a responsible way.”

DHS data noted the U.S. and Canada share 5,525 miles of border, the longest land boundary between two countries in the world. The department reported, “Approximately 400,000 people and over $1.6 billion in goods cross the northern border daily through more than 120 POEs (ports of entry). DHS has committed significant personnel resources to securing the northern border, including over 3,600 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and 2,200 U.S. Border Patrol agents.”

Higgins has routinely supported resources for increased border staffing in the federal budget.