Transcripts For CSPAN3 Hearing Examines Border Security Effe

The subcommittee is meeting today to examine defense in depth strategy and its effect on local communities. I recognize myself for an opening statement. Id like to thank chief mark morgan testifying now before congress for the first time as the new chief of Border Patrol. Im sure you will be spending frequent visits the our subcommittee as we discuss very important questions related to Border Security. Things like what does a secure border hook like. What are the right tools and strategies to achieve a secure border and how do we measure success or failure. I want to focus on the second question. Specifically the unintenses consequences that live along the border including my constituents. In the early 1990s they were out matched in all aspect of illegal activity. Both between and at the port of entry. Yet despite having a smaller Border Patrol at the time agents apprehended millions of people. Border patrols response to this activity lead to operations hold the line and gate keeper that surged resources to the border in those major urban areas. In the shortterm it stemmed the tide of elicit activity. However it has the unintended effect of pushing it away from you are p urban areas. And and the strategies effectiveness by exmaining in urban areas he have a mere seconds to minutes to intercept the illegal activity and minutes to hours and this rural areas they have hours to day and they have profound ramifications for pop you hated rural areas along the border like my business in arizona. Our fellow residents are exposed to this elicit activity. Destroys their property and puts their lives at risk. Small businesses and tourism suffer from the illegal activity thats pushed deep into the interior of the country by a strategy that i believe needs to be reexamined. To be clear im not asking agents to link arms across the border 2,000 miles, shoulder to shoulder. What i am asking for is that we focus our resources and manpower more at the line of scrimmage, not, five, ten, 100 miles inland. It should be arranged with the intent of anticipating deterring and stopping most activity before it enters our communities using the overwhelming majority of agents and the technology as close to the line is as it will allow. In many instances i have observed mile long stretches of the border with little to no agent activity patrolling the road near the fence. I have also witnessed whole sections of fence cut out allowing untold number of vehicles to come across the border before being detected. Presence on the border matters. Serving as a deturnt to legal activity and Rapid Response to inevitable breeches. Geography has an effect. But we cannot see 10 to 100 miles or more of u. S. Territory waiting for these actors to be caught at the time an place of our choosing. Ib stead we have to take the fight to them at the earliest point of the incursion. In tucson, 48 of the total number of apprehensions took mace more than five miles from the fiscal border. Compare that with yuma where more than 84 of illicit crossings are apprehended in the first five miles. For citizens that live along the border five miles is like an eternity. Interior checkpoints are part of the approach to Border Securities that created challenges for the men and women that i was sent here to represent. They use a mix of permanent and tactical checkpoints. Theyre designed to push the elicit traffic around the checkpoints. But they have really introduced it as a way of life for law abiding citizens that live near the checkpoints. To add insult to injury the checkpoints are closed when it rains to prevenn a traffic accident. All they have to do is wait for the weather to change to bypass the layer of defense. They conducted an indepth study concerning check points and impact on local communities. They closely track the impact of checkpoints on communities. To date wrote think the Border Patrol has followed or immemented the recommendations put i look forward to talking about that today and we do have a university of arizona representative on the second panel. Defense in depth and layered approach to the Border Security sounds good in theory but theres real world negative impacts for the american citizens that live at or near the border. I look forward to hearing from the chief and witnesses to discuss a better approach. We recognize the gentleman from texas for any statement he might have. I dont have a lot more to add. I want to welcome you chief morgan to this hearing today and congratulate the appointment and your agencies and these checkpoints comes from having across the checkpoint virtually all of my life. When i was a young lawyer i travel between brownsville and corpora corpus christie. It didnt make sense that i as an american citizen born in brownsville would have to be asked whether or not i was a citizen two hours north. However my father was a federal judge with jurisdiction over the checkpoint and when i would often voice my frustration, he would remind me of the volume of aprehengs that he would witness so overtime i soften my reaction. Your agency is very much a part of life across the entire u. S. Mexico border and for those of us in south texas over the course of last year i can tell you i have talked to your agents on an official basis sometimes but more often on an unofficial basis because they live all around us. Theyre part of our social fabric and i can tell you that you have some challenges ahead because over the course of the last year, there is hardly an agent that i have run into. Many who have been part of the agency for many, many years who have expressed a level of dissatisfaction and im just feeling a lot of low morale with many of the people that work for the agency. So i look forward to working with you as we move forward with the rest of the committee to see what we can do about improving morale. For the agents on the ground and doing what we can to make your agency as effective as possible. Other members of the committee are reminded that Opening Statements maybe submitted for the record. Were pleased to be joined by two panels of witnesses to discuss the topic today. The first witness is plflt mark morgan. The chief of the United States Border Patrol. A position he assumed earlier this year. While at the fbi chief more fwan served as the El Paso Division and inspection division. Chief morgans full written statement will appear in the statement. The chair now recognizes the chief for five minutes. Good morning. Distinguished members of the subcommittee ch. Thank you for holding this important hearing today. This is a proud moment for me. This is the first appearance at a congressional hearing. Representing the dedicated and talented men and women of the United States Border Patrol. During my first two months here as chief ive had the privilege to meet thousands of staff and trainees among the northern, southern and coastal borders and the United States Border Patrol academy and headquaters here in washington. I cant think of a better way for me to have started my tenure than to get out in the field and listen and learn and observe. Its exceeded my expectations and owl of these interactions, two facts have been crystal leer to me. I still have a hot to learn and two the men and women of the United States Border Patrol have one of the toughest jobs in the federal Law Enforcement. The complex challenges that we face are more difficult than i have seen in my 30 years of my career. Its constantly involving and this demands that we do the same. This was never more evident than my charge to the El Paso Division in texas. And the Intelligence Community ahong the southwest border are unparalleled. It was there i first learned about the vast and challenging Border Patrol mission and how critical it is to our security. I was equally impressed with the men and women serving honorably to carry out that complex constantly involving a never ending mission. I can tell you from my personal experience they are hard working and dedicated to this mission and their country and have and continue to make personal sacrifices to protect the citizens of this great nation. So i said before you today honored and privileged to be part of the United States Border Patrol team. The numbers we often hear associated with the United States Border Patrol are the numbers of apprehensions of those to illegally enter the country every year. Its hundreds of thousands. Id like to take a few minutes to also share some other numbers that we dont often talk about. I learned that the United States Border Patrol agents are among the most assaulted Law Enforcement personnel in the country. Theres been 7,542 assaults and 30 agents have died in the line of duty since 2003. The recent passing of alvarez serves as a vivid reminder of the dangerous, challenging and unique environment that Border Patrol agents are asked to experience. Another number which often gets little mention is how often Border Patrol agents put themselves in harm ways to provide Emergency Medical Care and assistance to those in need to include those trying to illegally enter the United States, every year the United States Border Patrol is involved in the rescue of thousands of victims of human smuggling and across the United States more than 3,700 this fiscal year along and risks his life to save four victims that were surely to drowned and also the Border Patrol agents risked their own lives to rescue individuals that were attempting to enter the United States and found themselves trapped in green valley arizona and just a few weeks ago the buffalo sector Border Patrol marine euns made land fall on the canadian shore in the middle of night after observing a house was on fire, they made land fall and they alerted the residents family and escorted them safely as the home became engulfed in flails. Todays hearing, its to discuss Border Patrol agents and the strategic use of checkpoints. I think that it does acknowledge that it can occur away from the immediate border. And it includes a threat based multifaceted approach such as checkpoints and operating basis that are strategically located on known routes from the border thoen to maximize resources and prevent a single point of failure. A few weeks ago a driver attempted to flea the checkpoint in the valley. They were discovered locked in a vehicle trunk with no means of escape. The dedicated and skilled Law Enforcement personnel and partnerships the use of checkpoint operations are to protect this countrys National Security. Ensure the safety of the public. Were here to serve. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to your questions. And dialogue concerning where as an agency we can get better at what we do. I now recognize myself for five minutes for questions. So as a relatively new chief of Border Patrol and one that wasnt an agent first you mentioned that you have taken time and toured the different sectors and just taking a fresh look as to the mission that they have, the challenges that they have. So based on that and the topic of this hearing which checkpoints is one element of it but really were looking at the full defense strategy. Can you share, what did you learn about the defense in depth strategy and do you agree this should continue to be the approach that we take especially in rural communities. Im probably going to stop referring it as a depth and defense strategy. And that means theyre actually seeding ground and territory. I dont think thats what im seeing. I think that what im seeing after too much, i still have a lot to learn. Ill take a hard look at this and im asking a lot of questions. What im observing is the strategy as i said in my statement is trying to come up with a comprehensive multifaceted layer strategy that prevents us from having a single point of failure. Thats really my concern. Now theres lots of different ways that maybe that can be achieved and we need to take a look at that and continue to grow. I think the Border Patrol is going in the right direction being that threat based Intelligence Driven on rationally focused organization thats supported with infrastructure and technology and personnel but also that, i think part of that strategy, we know that regardless of as we continue grow on that operation, you focus approach supported by technology and people. Things are getting across. Thats what i saw. Were getting better. Were not where we need to be but were getting better. So what do we do to prevent the things that do get crossed and do get buy crassed . How do we have a strategy that gives us a second look at that. Gives us a Second Chance of that to eliminate that single point of failure. Thats what im seeing with respect to the strategy. So thanks chief. During your time and your discussion and your visits were you able to see or do you agree that, again, if you see the vast majority in the tucson sector anyway of aprehengs taking place north of five mile prs the border that the elicit activity does have some serious repercussions to border communities and residents . Yes, maam. Absolutely agree. Ive been to del rio. I have sat with the ranchers. One night i had dinner with the local ranchers there. It was a great barbecue and i sat and i talked with them and the elements that you mention in your opening comments are exactly what theyre saying as well and i think that theyre absolutely legitimate in everything that they say. If i was a rancher and i hear that they talk about the things that they do have what others may see as a small gate left open. Its not, cattle can get out. They could have devastating impacts they have seen people that have passed on their property. Their property is getting broken into. Things are being stolen. So its absolutely a sere warehouse issue and i can say my tour and being out in the field especially on the southwest border, i have not met a agent yet that doesnt understand that and take that equally as serious. My understanding is that we are now below 20,000 agents nationwide and then i guess the other question related to the strategy is of the agents that you have are you taking a look at where they are assigned . We hear a lot from the agents themselves about those being detailed away and not enough are mustering actually to be out patrolling on a daily basis. Those percentages as we have done some different visits and talking to people seem to be a little bit lopsided as far as those that are out in the field versus those that are in other assignments. Are you taking a look at that and what have you learned from the number of agents and where theyre actually assigned . Yes, maam. So i think all that you just said, im taking a look at that across the board. First to answer your question, do we have enough. My first immediate answer is, i dont know yet when it comes to the personnel because i think we have to do also what you said is take a look at the resource allocation and where are they at. I think also its a layered approach. I think to answer that question honestly its a little premature i think for me to be able to to that and have that confidence before i give you the numbers because part of that is increasing our ability to identify and understand the threat and have the situation awareness to be able to be continue to grow, being Intelligence Driven and focussing our operations toward that threat. Its a combination of infrastructure and technology think the use of infrastructure and technology it could impact the need for number of agents so im taking a look at that. I think you hit the other element right on the head is that basically are the agents where they need to be. I dont know. Whereon. Im taking a look at that. Im asking those questions. If you look at the history as you mention as well, you know, hold the line, gate keeper, if you look at the history of the Border Patrol resources had to be shifted as the threat shifted. Thats hard for an organization that is static in nature. Meaning people have to move and buy homes and et cetera and being agile and mobile enough to be constant and have that constant ability to be able to go where the evolving threat is. We have mobile Response Teams so some sectors may see some agents leave. I dont know, may see agents leave the tuscan sector but they may be going to rgv, theyre getting hammered right now with the influx of folks crossing. So we have to take a look at that. I think in a wholistic approach. But were taking a hard look at that. Thanks. One more quick question on the checkpoints and then another round because toii want to go deeper into it. We have permanent checkpoints on most roads in arizona and across the rest of the border. Look, if you are a hardened cartel operative and you drivethru a known Border Patrol checkpoint you should get the darwin award. Okay so as i have talked to agents and your predecessor your picking up the low level criminals that dont know better and think theyll get through but not the serious cartels. The way its described is you intend that the cartels are going to go around the checkpoints and hah pushes them into the communities. Well hear about the impacts