Official Says CBP Has Historic Levels of Personnel, Resources at SW Border

On October 4, 2011, a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol official testified before the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. In his testimony, the official stated that over the past two years, the Department of Homeland Security has dedicated historic levels of personnel, technology, and resources to the Southwest border. Among other things, DHS has more than doubled the size of the Border Patrol since 2004; tripled the number of Border Liaison Officers working with their Mexican counterparts; doubled personnel assigned to Border Enforcement Security Task Forces; and began screening southbound rail and vehicle traffic for the illegal weapons and cash that are helping fuel the cartel violence in Mexico.