Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity and for crafting a good bill that supports the critical missions of the Department of Homeland Security. Within this bill you have done a great job of increasing the amount of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration Customs Enforcement officers and addressing the critical needs along the border.
I am a big supporter that in order to protect the border we have got to start off with optimum staffing levels of law enforcement agencies charged with protecting our borders. This is certainly true in my hometown of Laredo on the border. Your bill goes a long way towards addressing the staffing needs of CBP and ICE in Laredo as well as along our borders through substantive funding increases and extensive planning requirements.
But there is certainly more work to be done, and I hope to be able to work with you, Mr. Chairman, and with your committee on addressing the staffing needs on these agencies, especially along the border in Laredo.
Secondly, there is a serious condition along my area of the border caused by carrizo cane. This invasive plant grows wildly along the banks of the Rio Grande and conceals many illegal activities and illegal crossings.
This is why the Riverbend Project in Laredo is so important. I am very appreciative of your supportive report language that reflects my proposed ideas about making the border more secure, and I hope to be able to continue to work with you and the ranking member in the committee to address this problem
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Mr. CUELLAR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe that the best method to secure our borders is through more law enforcement on the ground; more technology, which is cameras, sensors and air surveillance; and more detention beds.
Again, this bill takes huge strides to address these needs.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for the time. And thank you to Mr. Sabo for the great work you have been doing.
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