Nevada’s tourism economy and 500 local jobs are at stake if U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) doesn’t directly hire more CBP inspectors to staff a major Las Vegas airport, said U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) and a bipartisan, bicameral Nevada congressional contingent.
CBP must immediately address the issue at the McCarran International Airport, specifically regarding frequent incoming LATAM Airlines flights to McCarran from Latin America, the lawmakers wrote in a July 24 letter to CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan.
“We have a deep appreciation for CBP’s important role ensuring those entering the U.S. at airports are doing so lawfully. We also recognize that CBP faces competing demands for its inspectors and that these limited resources can create staffing challenges,” the members wrote. “Nonetheless, McCarran is facing an urgent CBP staffing problem that threatens millions of dollars in economic activity and hundreds of jobs.”
The Nevada lawmakers are concerned that a thrice-weekly LATAM flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil into McCarran could get canceled by the airline, which has a temporary agreement with the airport authority to provide a limited amount of CBP overtime hours for CBP inspectors to process travelers on that flight. The CBP inspectors are paid by LATAM and McCarran, according to the letter.
“Unfortunately, CBP officials at McCarran have indicated they will not provide the staffing necessary to clear this early-morning flight, even though there are funds to cover the required staffing,” members of the Nevada delegation wrote. “Needless to say, this is deeply concerning to us.”
Lacking immediate assistance from CBP, the lawmakers fear “LATAM will cancel and move this flight,” and they claimed that the “instantaneous” economic impact on Las Vegas would be $15 million in economic development and up to 100 jobs.
“The loss of year-round LATAM service would likely cost the region $70 million and nearly 500 jobs,” wrote Sen. Heller and his home state colleagues, noting that LATAM has indicated an interest in providing year-round service at McCarran.
“Making matters worse,” they added, “additional carriers from Asia, Australia, and South America are also interested in scheduling new flights to Las Vegas with early morning arrival times.”
The members requested that CBP work with local airport and tourism officials to resolve the situation “as soon as possible,” and asked Commissioner McAleenan to provide a response within two weeks that contains “a solution to this matter.”
U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and U.S. Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV), Ruben Kihuen (D-NV), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) also signed the letter.