Jaime Zapate Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 915, the Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement Security Task Force Act, which establishes a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program to enhance cooperation amongst border security forces.
This legislation is named in honor of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jaime Zapata, who was killed in the line of the duty while serving on a Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) team in Mexico. BEST teams incorporate personnel from ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), along with other key Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.
H.R. 915 establishes a BEST program to enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal, State, and local border and law enforcement officials to protect United States border cities and communities from transnational crime, including violence associated with drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and across the international borders of the United States.
Securing our borders from those who would harm Americans is my highest priority as a Member of Congress. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee I am committed to working with my colleagues and the Administration to keep our borders secure from all those who threaten our freedom and liberty. As the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications of the Committee on Homeland Security, I have sponsored and co-sponsored legislation that improves our Nation's ability to secure the Nation's borders. I support H.R. 915 because it is a positive step in the right direction and I strongly urge my colleagues to do so as well.
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