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Letter to Honorable R. Gil Kerlikowske

Letter

Date: July 12, 2011
Issues: Trade Drugs

The Honorable R. Gil Kerlikowske
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Executive Office of the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Director Kerlikowske:

As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security, I am responsible for directing the Senate's oversight of the immigration enforcement functions of the federal government with regard to our borders. I write in this capacity to express my deep frustration with the Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) delay in developing and submitting a Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy as required by law.

On January 4, 2011, the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act (NBCSA) of 2010 was enacted, which required ONDCP to set forth the strategy of the federal government for preventing the illegal trafficking of drugs across the international border between the United States and Canada. The Act required the strategy to be published "not later than 180 days after the date of enactment,"--which would have been Tuesday, July 5, 2011. As of today, no strategy has yet been issued, and there does not appear to be a clear date as to when a strategy can be expected to be released.

I wrote the NBCSA to require of all our federal agencies along the northern border to work together to more effectively to combat the scourge of drug trafficking that is affecting our communities along the border. The delay in developing and releasing this strategy is discouraging because it means that our agencies are not yet working together in their most optimal coordinated capacity to stop smugglers from bringing drugs into our communities.

I therefore ask that you release the strategy, as required by law, as expeditiously as possible. Additionally, if you do not expect the strategy to be released within the next seven (7) days, I ask that you provide me with a written explanation as to the cause of the delay, the effect of the delay on operational coordination along the northern border, and the expected timetable for the release of the strategy.

I thank you for your attention to this important matter, and hope we can work together to assist you in your mission of protecting America.

Sincerely,


Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator


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