Subcommittee on maritime border. We need clone snoumptourselves. I was in the Armed Services meeting. Very important. And to examine the threat posed by drug cartels and tra transorganizations. Id like to welcome the newest member from our subcommittee, the gentleman from florida, mr. Rutherford. Let me be clear from the outset i hope over the course this congress we can engage in thoughtful and productive conversations that lead to legislative relationships that help secure our homeland. We want to drill down on the threat that an unsecure border poses to our fellow americans the focus of our conversation today and the next leader from the joint task forces authorized oo by the last congress to combat this threat. Protect our borders is a multifacfaceted effort. The job falls to primarily u. S. Border patrol while the job of the u. S. Coast guard is secure maritime border. And securing more than 300 ports of entry. And air and Marine Operations carries out air and Marine Maritime environments to interdict unlawful people and cargo from approaching our borders and supporting National Security through its investigatory authorities and responsibilities. These are not simple or easy ta tasks. Rugged deserts, high canyons and more than 1,000 miles of river. And vast ocean patrolled by a limited number of assets and providing cartels with enormous territories to conduct their activities. Congress has provided millions of dollars to shore up our defenses and we have person yell deployed to keep the nation safe. Despite our best efforts we have seemingly made little progress over the last few years to secure the border. Most recent reports and testimony suggests between our ports of entry we are a little more than 50 effective from keeping people from crossing our border and continues unabated. On the other side of the border, mexican drug cartels reach a wide network. Cartel presence influence and power throughout mexico is you pick to us. Corruption endemic and they often find theirselves illequipped to handle the vast amount of cartel activity. Smuggling people in is a billion dollar business, make as much money possible with eel lift products and people across the border of the United States. Obscene profits incentivize cartels to be entrepreneurial and innovative to smuggle their elicit cargo. We know they conduct extensive activity against our agents and place spotters or scalps on hilltops to hide the drug lords and other protection assets. Sophistication deep tunnels and rail cars to expedite the movement of drugs has also been used and we have seen 0 a proliferation of unorthodox smuggling, canon is in my district to shoot hundreds of thousands of drugs over the fences and barriers, ultra light aircraft under the cover of d k darkness to fly over the border and returning to undetected mexico. In my district, authorities broke up a complicated smuggling ring. They specialized in drivethrough operations with convoys and thousands of pounds of drugs across remote parts of the border and was not an amateur operation by any means, to the contrary a sophisticated enterprise to thwart Law Enforcement at every term. This is the nature of the adversary along the border. 2nd was once one of the most trafficked but with additional barriers and manpower brought the situation under control. Because the cartels are nimble, they responded with open vessels to push the drug lords farther and farther off the coast of california, im sure we will hear about it from you today and making it more difficult to track and interdict and painting submersibles to blend win the ocean and bringing in multicocaine loads to mexico. Ultimate destination is cities and towns across the nation. We have to be cleareyed on the sophisticated ader ver saris. We will not sit identically by while we adjust our strategy and that will threaten their busy model. They will innovate like they always do if we do not counter the cartel movement. I look forward to the discussion ahead. I ask unanimous consent the gentleman from new york be permitted to be at the hearing. No objection, so ordered. Thank you, chair woman, for calling this very important hearing, as we discussed. This is one of area we can agree many of us can Work Together to achieve our ultimate goal, to do as much as we can to impact the negative work the cartels do in south america and United States and at the same time, do what we can to take drugs off the seats. I would like to introduce our newest member to the committee. Congressman garcia represents californias 46th Congressional District and most recently served in the state senate. Congresswoman val den, previously served as chief of the Orlando Police department, the first woman to hold that position. An experienced attorney representing the 44th Congressional District which includes the port of los angeles. Id also like to recognize my colleague, mr. Richmond, our Senior Member in the committee, joining us on the subcommittee for the first time. I look forward to working with all of you in the combing months because each of you bring a unique perspective and expertise to this subcommittee. The subject of our hearing today is one of particular interest to me given like congresswoman mcsally i represent a border district in texas. The state across from my Congressional District has been coping with serious Security Issues due to cartel violence. In fact, this coming thursday, my mexican colleagues at the federal level will be launching a social media effort to help promote the idea of bringing peace to the state. Mexican cartels have fought for control of smuggling corridors, communities on the mexican side have seen record levels of drug related homicides and violence. The threat is not confined to our southern border, cartels use networks to target elicit drugs and contraband. The security and prosperity of all of our districts and so many communities across the nation depend in part to security and prosperity across the border. I want to continue to be supp t supportive of United States efforts to that end. I am also appreciative of secretary kellys recent comm t comments with respect to what he would like to do to address the issue of demand in this country. I hope to hear from you today about how we are countering with Central America and mexico to combat National Criminal organizations and enhance Border Security. I would ask all our witnesses to speak to the subcommittee how the threat has evolved and changed over time, what need to address this threat and what we as members of congress can do to support your efforts and our neighbors and our communities are counting on us to get this right. Madam chair thank you for bringing this hearing and i look forward to a Productive Congress with you and all the members of the subcommittee. I yield back the balance of my time. Other members of the committee are reminded Opening Statement mays be submitted for the record. Were pleased to be joined by four of distinguished witnesses. Vi from guidance and resources and address the coast guards priorities and a specific area commander in the middle east and Advisory Mission for the missionary commander. And for the tucson sector and hes responsible for impleme implementing strategic guidance from joint Task Force West and u. S. Customs and Border Protection and command and coordinator of operational functions in the state of arizona. In addition to those roles and responsibilities, commander beson has command of the strategic operation and 420 personnel, many of which are in my district. Mr. Matthew allen is the assistant director for investigative programs for Homeland Security investigations within the u. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mr. Allen is responsible for programmatic oversight of development and execution of operational initiatives. Mr. Allen previously served as special agent in charge in arizona and had the full speck trim off i. C. E. And activities and led personnel assigned to the state. And Deputy Assistant secretary luis arreaga, department of state and bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement affairs. And control of Law Enforcement and rule of law in the western hemisphere. Prior to this appointment. Ambassador arreaga served as ambassador of iceland from 2010 to 2013. The witnesss full statements will appear in the record and now witnerecognizes you to test. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the coast guards role in criminal organizations and the continued threat it poses to the homeland. Im particularly pleased to testify alongside our most important partners. And i would like to thank them for their leadership in this effort. Before i continue, i would draw your attention to the exhibit, north america and south america. When im talking about the transit zone talking about that area between south america, Central America and southern mexico. We continue to face a specific threat from transNational Criminal networks whose drug transit routes lead to the southern approaches of the United States. Kaurced protects the maritime border not just here at home but off the coast of south and Central America as part of our layered security strategy. As secretary kelly stated a few days ago, the defense of the southwest border starts about 1500 miles south of there. When transNational Criminal organizations are violent, they harm economies and threaten citizens and engage in all matters of elicit activity and destabilize latin america. The wide spread violence they employ has reach eed epidemic levels and spread to migrants who attempt to illegally enter the United States. As one of the nations five armed forces and the only one with broad Law Enforcement authority the coast guard is positioned to attack these criminal networks where theyre most vulnerable at sea. They consist of a cutter, airborne use of force helicopter and high speed boats and highly trained boarding teams. We seize multiton loads of drugs at sea before theyre broken up and cause devastation each step of their journey making their way to north america. We leverage only 42 maritime Law EnforcementBilateral Agreements fi 25 in the hemisphere here and we are the only ones to enforce the statutes with our neighbors. Our coast guard and Partner Agencies interdicted more cocaine in 2016 than all the land and across our country by all state and locals come bind. We get it in bulk quantities. Sometimes in the thousands of kilos and by doing so we push the border south of the nation to significantly impact the transNational Criminal organizations. Beyond demonstrating this the cocaine and elicit trafficking unfortunately are on the rise. Resource constraints and lack of capable surface assets allow the u. S. Coast guard to only attack or target 30 of the known cases. We have good intelligence, high confidence intelligence as a result of lack of resources last year, we were prevented from getting after 580 known smuggling events and those shipments made their way on north. Unfortunately, the other significant National Security demands on our great navy now preclude their participation in this area of operations and as testimony before the committee, secretary kelly noted there hasnt been a significant sustained Navy Presence in the eastern pacific for almost four years. In that time, our coast guard has doubled down our presence in the region and we are your armed force in the maritime approach to the u. S. We continue to look for ways to increase our offshore cutter presence and we dont have the assets to address all the intelligence we have. For that reason recapitalizing our medium endurance fleet with the offshore cutter is a must to meet mission demand. We appreciate the support thus far and continued support from this congress will be essential as we move to commission our first offshore patrol cutter in 2021. These new assets will make us more effective. Like other armed forces were facing significant readiness challenge with infrastructure and strained workforce. Like our fellow chief commandant said, he believes it will stay this way as long as the budget control act is in effect. We have an outstanding and dedicated group of professional women and men as evidenced by the 201 metric tons of cocaine we seized in 2016. A kaurced reco coast guard re. Thank you for all you do and to testify and all due for the men and women in the court. I look forward to testifying. Thank you. Commander beson. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to appear today on behalf of u. S. Customs and Border Protection to discuss the evolving drug smuggling tactics and techniques used by transNational Criminal organizations and how cbp is working to address this threat and secure our nations borders. I began my career as a Border Patrol agent in 1985. In my 30 years i have seen it change from barbed wire fence and nationwide work force of a few thousand Border Patrol agents to today 600 miles of fencing and almost 20,000 Border Patrol agents on duty. The border has changed and become more complex. Over the course of my career i have seen the department of Homeland Security funding increases and decreases and committed evolution of criminals who seek to exploit our borders. I have also seen cbp and legacy offices that make up cbp work with congress to improve the border environment. Resources, technology, tactical infrastructure have shaped the border we see today. We have realized greater Situational Awareness and reduction of activity from a high in fiscal year 2000 to just over 400 arrests last fiscal year. Throughout my career i have teen tcos exhibit unending resolve to exploit the border for their own gain. They have used nimble and illegal tactics to cross our border and smuggle in people and contraband. Tcos activate throughout the border environment including at the ports of entry and various domain, such as land, air and sea. Cbp has combat these illegal activities but they continue to circumvent it. Drug smuggling is a part of Border Enterprises and today they smuggle by foot, vehicle, air, tunneling and even through the use of projectile type systems. Tcos also rely on scouting, countersurveillance and Logistical Support to further their illegal drug smuggling operati operations. While it still occurs, cbp continues to take steps comb combatting their efforts. In fiscal year 2013 they deceased or disrupted more than 4,000 pounds of narcotics. They have disrupted the manner tcos attempt to smuggle drugs. Prior to fencing and Technology Deployment is in the tucson sector area of operations over 1,000 vehicle drivethroughs were recorded in 2006 and last year, only 18 such events recorded. While ramping and drivethroughs still occur, we have diminished the probability of their success and shaped these elicit operati operations. What i have seen in over 30 years of Law Enforcement, tcos remain insistent to do cross bored ir activity. I have seen Law Enforcement partners make progress in security of our borders as a result of investments over the years in our Border Security and blood, sweat and tears of men and women engage in the daily battles to secure our borders. With continued support from congress, cbp will continue to refine and enhance the effectiveness of detection and in terdiction capabilities. While ctos may be intent in smuggling operation, cbp is intent on safe guardi ining the borders of this country. Distinguished members of this subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today and i look forward to your questions. Thank you, commander beeson. Chair recognizes mr. Allen for five minutes. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the threats posed by transNational Criminal organizations and Customs Enforcement to identify, target, investigate and disrupt and dismantle these criminal elem t elements. Today, i will provide isis perspective we face on the southwest border, approaches that lead up to our border and what we do to address tcos and smuggling activities and controversy once it arrived to our bored irs and the interior of the United States. I brought a troubling graphic of the areas of influence of the major transNational Criminal organizations in the United States and i want to thank the Drug Administration enforcement for sharing that today. Notably the cartels that stretch across the southw