Border Security

Keeping our borders secure from potential terrorists, illegal immigrants, and illicit contraband, is vital to the safety and security of the United States.  The Committee on Homeland Security supports efforts to gain and maintain operational control of the entire border as well as vigorously enforce our nation’s immigration laws. 

Going forward, the Committee will continue to oversee efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure the border by ensuring that an effective combination of staffing, technology, and infrastructure is utilized to protect the more than 8,000 miles of land and maritime areas along both the northern and southern borders. 

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to securing borders as vast and geographically diverse as those separating the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, the Obama Administration has yet to present a comprehensive plan for securing our borders.  The Committee continues to call for DHS to present such a plan that ensures DHS gains and maintains operational control of the border and that Federal immigration laws are fully enforced.