House GOP Group Offers Northern Border Security Bill

Republicans in the House have concerns about security along America's northern border as much as they want the southern border to be tightened up.

They have introduced legislation to get more attention focused on the northern border by calling for an updated threat analysis and steps to increase recruitment and hiring, with current staffing near a critically low level.

House Republican Leadership Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is one of the three lawmakers introducing the bill. She said in a release that, "I am working with DHS [Department of Homeland Security] to update the northern border threat analysis and prioritize the staffing challenges that have left our state vulnerable to illegal migration, including terrorists, drug traffickers, and gang members."

She pointed out that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offices are facing a huge issue with "critical staffing shortages at northern ports of entry where officer retirements, recruitment challenges, and rising national security threats demand urgent and sustained attention."

A May 30 release from CBP noted a regular series of immigration arrests along the northern border in Maine. "After a record-breaking month of arrests in April, the United States Border Patrol (USBP) in Maine is continuing to see elevated numbers of apprehensions."

Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., is a co-author of the legislation. He said the tremendous success toward reducing illegal crossings at the Southern Border has not been matched in the north. "Too often overlooked, the northern border is understaffed and under-resourced, leaving Minnesota and our nation exposed to the risks associated with illegal immigration."

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