House Approves Jenniffer González Maritime Border Security Review Act
Washington, DC- Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Puerto Rico Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón, H.R. 5869, the Maritime Border Security Review Act.
This bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a detailed threat analysis of the United States' maritime border, including the Transit Zone and the borders and territorial waters of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Federal authorities have long been concerned about criminal activity along the Transit Zone, a seven million square-mile area, roughly twice the size of the continental U.S., that includes the sea corridors of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for instance, have been exploited as both a destination and transshipment point for illicit drugs shipped to the mainland, endangering the lives of Americans in the two territories and the continental U.S.
According to the Coast Guard, the total known flow of undocumented migrants attempting to enter the United States by maritime routes in 2016 was almost 10,000 individuals. The known cocaine flow through the TransitZone reached about 2,700 metric tons in FY 2017. During the same year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized almost 66,000 pounds of narcotics in and around Puerto Rico from drug cartels and smugglers, more than any previous year on record.
H.R. 5869 is part of the Congresswoman's commitment to improve national security measures and ensure the safety of the American people. The bill includes provisions that require an assessment of terrorism and criminal threats along the maritime border, improvements needed at U.S. seaports to reduce criminal activity, and current vulnerabilities in law that prevent effective border security.
"As the United States moves to secure its borders, it is imperative that we confront the threats posed by criminal and drug trafficking organizations seeking to enter the Nation through our maritime frontier. It is also necessary that we address public safety challenges faced by the American citizens of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the only U.S. territories located geographically within the Transit Zone," said Gonzalez-Colón on the House floor.
To better understand these and other threats, H.R. 5869 further requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to consider technology and personnel needs at the U.S. maritime frontier; the role of State and local law enforcement in maritime border security activities; the geographic challenges of the maritime border; and, the impact of last year's devastating hurricanes on general border security activities to the maritime border.
The House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously passed H.R. 5869 during a full committee markup scheduled on July 24, 2018. The bill is cosponsored by Representatives Peter King (R-NY), Dan Donovan (R-NY), Don Bacon (R-NE), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Sean Duffy (R-WI).
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House Floor Speech on Passage of
H.R. 5869, the Maritime Border Security Review Act
Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón (PR – At Large)
U.S. House of Representatives
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Thank you, Congressman Perry.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on behalf of my bill, H.R. 5869, the Maritime Border Security Review Act.
As we move to secure our borders, it is imperative that we confront the threats posed by criminal and drug trafficking organizations seeking to enter the Nation through our maritime frontier. Illicit trafficking through the Transit Zone, a seven million square-mile area, roughly twice the size of the continental U.S., that includes the sea corridors of the Western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
According to the Coast Guard,the total known flow of undocumented migrants attempting to enter the United States by maritime routes in 2017 was almost 4,800 individuals. The known cocaine flow through the Transit Zone reached about 2,700 metric tons in 2017.
H.R. 5869 also addresses the public safety challenges faced by Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the only U.S. territories located geographically within the Transit Zone.
The United States' Caribbean border has long been exploited as both a destination and a transshipment point for illicit drugs shipped to the mainland, endangering the lives of Americans in the two territories and the continental U.S About two-thirds of the cocaine transiting the Caribbean in early 2016 was destined for the United States, most of it being smuggled through Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized about 66,000 pounds of narcotics in and around Puerto Rico from drug cartels and smugglers, more than any previous year on record.
Last year's devastating hurricane season disrupted interdiction efforts in the United States' maritime border. According to the 2019 Threat Assessment from the Puerto Rico/USVI High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, the damage inflicted by the storms severely diminished the operational capabilities of local and Federal law enforcement on the islands.
The U.S. Coast Guard recently testified before the U.S. Senate that responding in force to the hurricanes meant fewer resources for drug interdiction and border protection. The agency also admitted that, despite their best efforts, they have struggled to keep up with the volume of illicit traffic due to a shortage of planes, ships, and resources, further highlighting the needs at our maritime frontier.
H.R. 5869 would help us better understand these and other challenges the United States faces along its maritime border by requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a detailed threat analysis of the region. This assessment must examine: terrorism and criminal threats posed by those seeking to enter the U.S. through the maritime border; improvements needed at all U.S. sea ports to reduce criminal activity; all vulnerabilities in law that prevent effective border security, similar to the recently released Northern Border Threat Analysis of 2017.
The Secretary of Homeland Security must consider: technology and personnel needs; the role of State and local law enforcement in border security activities; the geographic challenges of the region; and the impact of last year's hurricanes on general border security activities.
Protecting and ensuring the safety of the American people, both in the mainland and in the territories, must continue to be a priority for all of us. An assessment of the threats posed at our Nation's maritime border will help us achieve just that. That's the reason behind this bill.
I want to thank Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Thompson, and the members of the Homeland Security Committee for their leadership and assistance in moving forward this important piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5869.
Thank you and I yield back.