Border Enforcement Security Task Force Reauthorization Act of 2017

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2281) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to reauthorize the Border Enforcement Security Task Force program within the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2281, the Border Enforcement Security Task Force Reauthorization Act of 2017.

Mr. Speaker, we are living in unprecedented times. A quick glance of recent headlines shows that our Nation is suffering from the largest heroin epidemic in the history of the United States. In fact, just last week, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that heroin has become so pervasive in our cities and so profitable for the cartels that supply it that even our local law enforcement officers are disheartened and admit that sporadic street-level arrests seem to have little to no effect.

Recently, in my district and because of the hard work of our men and women in law enforcement, we witnessed the dismantling of a large-scale organization. News reports indicate 52 individuals are facing charges for about 370 crimes, including operating as drug dealers and traffickers.

Mr. Speaker, if these individuals had not been stopped, their nefarious activities would have broken the dreams of children across America, and their criminal enterprise would have caused millions in economic loss through increased incarceration, rehab, and medical expenses. If they had not been stopped, their actions would have continued to introduce poison into our communities and shattered lives.

Even worse, a recent trend shows that the heroin hitting our streets is becoming more lethal as drug cartels have now begun lacing heroin with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid making doses more addictive and cheaper to produce.

I might add parenthetically that, for 20 years as a Federal prosecutor, I prosecuted every possible drug organization known to man. I have never seen anything with the lethality that is heroin.

This epidemic is, in large part, due to the stream of illegal narcotics that is flowing across our Nation's borders. However, there are steps that can be taken to shut down these illicit pathways. Thankfully, there is a Federal task force dedicated to this singular purpose.

In 2005, in response to the increase in violence along the southwest border of Mexico, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as other Federal, State, local, and international law enforcement officials, created what is known as BEST, the Border Enforcement Security Task Force.

To date, a total of 44 BEST units have been deployed across 16 States and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. My home State of New York is well served by three BEST teams, two of which are situated on the northern border and one of which I helped stand up in Massena, New York.

Nationwide, BEST teams comprise over 1,000 members who represent over 100 law enforcement agencies that have committed to jointly investigate transnational criminal activity along the southwest and northern borders and at our Nation's major seaports.

Since inception, their collective efforts have initiated more than 10,654 investigations which have resulted in almost 13,000 criminal arrests, the seizure of 1.2 million pounds of narcotics, and more than $130 million. The street value of 1.2 million pounds of narcotics is astronomical.

This is an impressive feat by any measure; however, as we are considering reauthorizing this important task force, it is important to highlight where there is some room for improvement. Every Congress looks at existing programs and makes adjustments when needed. That is exactly what we are proposing to do here today.

Of the 44, total, BEST units, 20 of them are designated by Homeland Security Investigations as having a maritime security focus. While the Coast Guard provides critical support to Federal, State, and local partners through a majority of the maritime BESTs, not every maritime BEST is currently benefiting from Coast Guard participation.

This bill mandates the participation of both a Coast Guard Investigative Service special agent and a uniformed Coast Guard intelligence officer on every maritime BEST. By utilizing both plainclothes investigators and uniformed intelligence officers, BEST will be able to partner with the Coast Guard in ongoing criminal investigations and the generation of actionable maritime intelligence.

The Coast Guard is the only agency within DHS that is also an independent member of the intelligence community. This unique position, coupled with the fact that the Coast Guard has unparalleled maritime domain awareness through daily interaction with mariners and facility operators, makes it imperative that they are included in all maritime BESTS in a mandatory fashion.

As we find ourselves halfway through Police Week this week, I want to take a second to pause and thank the men and women of law enforcement throughout this great Nation--many of whom I have stood side by side with for over 20 years--for all they do in keeping our country safe.

I would also like to thank the ranking member, Mr. Vela, for introducing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the law enforcement community and vote in favor of reauthorizing this important task force.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure,

Washington, DC, May 15, 2017.

Hon. Michael T. McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: I write concerning H.R. 2281, the

Border Enforcement Security Task Force Reauthorization Act of

2017. This legislation includes matters that I believe fall

within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure.

In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 2281, the

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure agrees to

forgo action on this bill. However, this is conditional on

our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the

bill would not prejudice the Committee with respect to the

appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional

claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or

similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X

jurisdiction. I request you urge the Speaker to name members

of the Committee to any conference committee named to

consider such provisions.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the

Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on

the House floor.

Sincerely,

Bill Shuster,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to adopt this legislation.

I want to note that, back in the mid-nineties when I was starting out my career as a Federal organized crime prosecutor, I was set on the border in El Paso, Texas, and I had a frontline view, as I was going after cartel-level drug traffickers back then, of just what a problem the border is.

Many people think of the border's primary problem being illegal aliens, but I can tell you firsthand--and I think my colleague from Texas will agree with me--that drug trafficking remains a gigantic issue, and the poison that is killing our kids is streaming across the southwest border in particular.

It is imperative that bills like this continue. It is imperative that Congressman Vela, Congresswoman McSally, and the others on their subcommittee continue their great work identifying issues along the border, both north and south, and that the BEST concept continues and, indeed, hopefully, expands in the future. Targeted law enforcement that involves people on both sides of the border and law enforcement is the only way we are ever going to solve this problem. I commend them for their work on this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2281 the ``Border Enforcement Security Task Force Reauthorization Act of 2017.''

As a Senior Member on the House Committee on Homeland Security; and former Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, I know well the importance of protecting our nation's borders.

I thank my colleague Congressman Vela for sponsoring this bipartisan legislation, which reauthorizes the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) program.

An escalation in drug trafficking and transnational criminal activity along our nation's southern border has led to record levels of violence and drug trafficking-related homicides.

Despite significant efforts to combat the drug trade, many governments in the region suffer from overwhelmed criminal justice systems and law enforcement agencies.

There must be a multi-pronged approach to solving the drug crisis in the United States, it must include treatment upon demand; education; increase resources for border interdiction and seizure of illicit drugs and advanced technology to detect and track those who may be engaged in illegal activity along the border.

The Border Enforcement Security Task Force is accomplishing the important law enforcement component of border security.

The Border Enforcement Security Task Force achieves its goal of border security enhancement by facilitating collaboration among federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies to execute coordinated activities in furtherance of border security and homeland security; and enhancing information-sharing, including the dissemination of homeland security information among such agencies.

The BEST program is currently administered by DHS, and involves information sharing and law-enforcement operations between personnel from federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law-enforcement agencies to combat criminal activity near the United States borders.

This program has established teams of law enforcement agents from over 100 law enforcement agencies that form units to investigate transnational criminal activity.

This approach supports better cooperation and collaboration among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies when investigating criminal activity along the southwest and northern borders, as well as at the nation's major seaports.

Since their inception, BEST Units have collectively initiated more than 10,654 cases.

These actions have resulted in more than:

2,718 criminal arrests

7,245 administrative arrests

110,711 pounds of cocaine

5,517 pounds of ecstasy

1,764 pounds of heroin

1,036,749 pounds of marijuana

6,325 pounds of methamphetamine

2,988,561 rounds of ammunition

4,657 vehicles

$130.2 million in U.S. currency

15,062 weapons

This bill instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security to also consider:

The cross-border threats posed by transnational criminal organizations;

The Department's homeland and border security strategic priorities; and

The departmental Joint Task Forces and other multi-agency cross- border operations when establishing new BEST Units.

In addition, this bill would update the Secretary's existing reporting requirement to provide an assessment of how BEST Units enhance information-sharing among law enforcement partners, coordinate with Departmental Joint Task Forces, and advance the Department's homeland and border security strategic priorities.

This legislation will improve and update the information sharing practices between our law enforcement agencies so they will operate in a cohesive manner.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2281 the BEST program because it had proven throughout the years to improve our border security, along with improving how our law enforcement agencies operate and share vital information.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2281, the Border Enforcement Security Task Force Reauthorization Act of 2017.

Mr. Speaker, this bill, H.R. 2281, seeks to reauthorize the Border Enforcement Security Task Force, or BEST, program within the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leads 42 BEST units across 16 States within the United States and Puerto Rico. Each unit is comprised of members from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies who investigate criminal activity along the southwest and northern borders and at the Nation's major seaports.

These units play a critical role in advancing DHS' border security efforts by ensuring all levels of domestic law enforcement are sharing information and leveraging resources. BEST units have been instrumental in coordinating joint operations with our law enforcement partners in Mexico to thwart threats posed by transnational criminal organizations.

This legislation is in furtherance of my efforts as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Boder and Maritime Security to bolster law enforcement collaboration on cross-border threats and to ensure that resources are used in a strategic manner to effectively mitigate such threats, particularly in response to the drug cartels.

Those of us representing border districts are well aware that cartels adapt quickly to exploit real or perceived weaknesses in our security. As they shift their criminal operations to new locations along our land borders, smuggle their contraband into the United States through our ports of entry, or utilize maritime routes into this country, DHS must be at the ready to quickly intercept and disrupt their operations.

This legislation seeks to ensure that DHS continues to use BEST units to maximum effect. This bill instructs DHS, before standing up a BEST unit, to consider the cross-border threats posed by transnational criminal organizations, the Department's homeland and border security strategic priorities, as well as the operations of DHS' joint task forces and other multiagency efforts.

H.R. 2281 also updates existing reporting requirements so that Congress has better information on how effectively BEST units are reducing criminal activity, such as the traffic of drugs, weapons, and people along our borders; enhancing information sharing among law enforcement partners; coordinating with the Department's joint task forces; and generally advancing the DHS homeland security and border security strategic priorities.

I also want to thank my colleagues on the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee who have cosponsored this legislation, including Subcommittee Chairwoman Martha McSally. I urge my colleagues to support