Arizona Lawmakers Push for CBP Officer Increase
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) should consider sending 500 of the additional 3,300 CBP officers approved in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 to Arizona, including the Mariposa port of entry (POE) in Nogales, said eight Arizona lawmakers in a March 4 letter to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson. CBP recently interdicted a 20,000-pound shipment of marijuana through the Mariposa port, in an incident that demonstrates Mexican cartels' perception of weak border security, said the group of lawmakers that includes House Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere Chairman Matt Salmon, R-Ariz.
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“Without adequate resources at Arizona’s ports of entry, increased attention of cartels may result in lengthy delays of shipment inspections, thus causing economic damage to small businesses operating at the border. This threat would also likely increase wait times for legitimate tourists, whether crossing by foot or vehicle,” said Salmon. “Currently, only 1,600 trucks enter the country each day through the POE. With full staffing in the expanded cargo lanes, CBP predicts capacity would be more than 4,000 trucks per day. This represents a huge opportunity to boost trade between Mexico and all of Arizona.” The allocation of CBP officers at U.S. ports has remained stagnant since 2009, said the lawmakers.