Cornyn Presses DHS To Ensure Border Officials' Concerns Are Heard During US-VISIT Implementation

Cornyn Presses DHS To Ensure Border Officials' Concerns Are Heard During US-VISIT Implementation

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Ranking Member of the Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee, said on Wednesday that implementation of the US-VISIT program must target threats, facilitate legitimate travel and include input from the border community.

Sen. Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary Committee's Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security subcommittee, served as Ranking Member during a hearing of that panel, which received testimony from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials and other witnesses. The hearing was titled: "US-VISIT: Challenges and Strategies for Securing the U.S. Border."

"DHS must continue working hard to ensure that it continually receives the input of the public and interested stakeholders, such as officials along the Texas border, on any expansion efforts," Sen. Cornyn said. "Southern border businesses and officials are concerned with the increased delays at border-crossing checkpoints and the impact of the delays on the local economy. As we continue working toward additional security measures, we need to develop a quick and efficient process to identify those who may be a threat to national security while allowing legitimate, law-abiding travelers to enter and exit the U.S. in a timely manner."

Sen. Cornyn addressed border leaders in the Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, and hosted a meeting with Texas border mayors and other leaders in his Washington office in mid-January to discuss these and other issues. In addition, he has met with DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and other officials to make sure the border community's concerns are heard.

Witnesses who testified at the hearing included: Robert A. Mocny, Acting Director, US-VISIT, Department of Homeland Security and Richard Barth, Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy Development, Department of Homeland Security.

On a related note, on Monday, Sen. Cornyn introduced legislation permitting laser visa holders—temporary, fully-screened travelers from Mexico—to stay in the United States up to six months. The Secure Border Crossing Card Entry Act of 2007, S. 422, extends the length of stay for these visitors from 30 days to six months, or parity with Canadians.

Below is the text of Sen. Cornyn's opening statement at the hearing:

As we move forward with our debate on immigration reform, we all recognize the importance of an immigration enforcement system that enhances the security of our citizens and visitors to the United States. No enforcement system, however, should be adopted without assessing the impact it will have on legitimate travel and trade to the United States. Our nation's security is paramount—but trade, especially with our partners on the northern and southern borders, is critical to the health of our economy.

The US-VISIT program is one component of an overall border and interior enforcement strategy. Since its inception in 2004, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made significant progress in phasing-in implementation of the program at air, sea and land borders. I applaud the DHS efforts in this regard so far. DHS must continue working hard to ensure that it continually receives the input of the public and interested stakeholders on any expansion efforts, such as officials along the Texas border.

I remain concerned about the affect of the US-VISIT program on the southern border communities. According to DHS, the US-VISIT entry technology has been installed in most air and sea ports, and in the secondary inspection areas at 154 land borders. The Texas border region already has felt the effects of increased security screening at the border.

Southern border businesses and officials are concerned with the increased delays at border-crossing checkpoints and the impact of the delays on the local economy. As we continue working toward additional security measures, we need to develop a quick and efficient process to identify those who may be a threat to national security while allowing legitimate, law-abiding travelers to enter and exit the U.S. in a timely manner.

One significant initiative to facilitate trade and travel on the southern border is the introduction of my bill, S. 422. This legislation permits Mexican nationals who hold laser visas—and have already undergone rigorous background screening by the State Department and DHS—to remain in the United States for an initial period of six months. The bill allows for expedited entry into the U.S., while at the same time it maintains the strong border-enforcement process. It also ensures that commerce on the southern border remains strong and viable—notwithstanding any new enforcement measures DHS may put in place.

DHS has indicated that the US-VISIT entry process has been beneficial, especially in terms of identifying criminals and immigration violators. DHS, however, also acknowledges that it needs additional resources and personnel to improve the existing entry process. We need to work with DHS to ensure that it gets all the help needed to make the system successful.

Recently, DHS announced that it would delay implementation of US-VISIT "exit" procedures at land borders, in part due to the potentially significant delays in the flow of cross-border traffic, and the significant resources it will take to expand existing infrastructure and systems communications that are needed for the US-VISIT process to work effectively. I fully support Secretary Chertoff's decision to focus efforts on expansion of the US-VISIT program at airports, where the majority of travelers enter and exit the United States.

DHS should continue to explore various strategies for improving its ability to capture traveler biometrics and entry and exit information. With the movement to create a single, secure, biometric and machine-readable travel card, like the E-passport, DHS should work with industry leaders and stakeholders to determine how the latest technologies, such as radio frequency identification technology (RFID) can best be incorporated into travel and entry/exit documents. DHS also needs to complete its law enforcement systems integration, which is the cornerstone of any successful law enforcement strategy.

With these improvements, we will eventually be able to have an integrated, entry-exit process that protects our nation's security and facilitates legitimate travel to and from the United States.

http://cornyn.senate.gov/index.asp?f=record&lid=1&yid=1&rid=237299&pg=1