U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) on Sept. 10 introduced a bipartisan bill toestablish a minimum staffing level of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials along the nation’s northern border with Canada, which is the longest land boundary between two countries in the world at 5,525 miles.
Some 400,000 people and more than $1.6 billion in goods cross the U.S.-Canada border daily through more than 120 ports of entry.
“Maintaining strong staffing levels at the northern border will ensure our tourism industry and economy are not stifled and that CBP officers are able to effectively carry out their duties,” Rep. Stefanik said. “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to support our Northern Border personnel and keep our economy strong.”
Rep. Stefanik is the lead original cosponsor of the Border Officers Utilization for National Defense (BOUND) Act of 2019, H.R. 4276, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY). Reps. Stefanik and Higgins serve as co-chairs of the Northern Border Caucus.
Among the cosponsors joining Rep. Stefanik in supporting H.R. 4276 is U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA).
“Travel and trade between Canada and the North Country is a critical source of revenue that directly impacts our local economy, as well as the national economy,” added Rep. Stefanik, whose office noted that CBP officers recently were pulled from the northern border and temporarily reassigned to the southern border during the busiest season for border crossings between the U.S. and Canada.
Crossings along the entire northern border increased from about 6 million in January and February to almost 11 million in July and August, according to the congresswoman’s office, which also said that redeploying CBP officers impacts their morale and increases their on-the-job stress.
If enacted, H.R. 4276 would ensure that not fewer than the maximum number of CBP officers deployed along the U.S.-Canada border “are always deployed,” including at ports of entry, according to the text of the bill.