The Commandant of the Coast Guard testified that at best it would be four or five years before we could expect to get men to head this service if we put it in the Coast Guard. For that and other reasons the committee abandoned the idea of putting it in the Coast Guard. The t .ll proposes to create a separate service. called the United States border patrol. and we propose that it shall be within the Treasury Department and shall be assigned to the same Assistant Secretary who now has supervision over the Coast Guard. We believe that would present unity both in theory and in administration. That Assistant Secretary. if this bill becomes law. will then have three services under his supervision. and three only. He will have the Coast Guard. which. under the present law. is charged with the duty of enforcing the law against unlawful entry upon the water boundaries of the country. he will have the border patrol service. which. under this measure. would have the like duty of enforcing the law with reference to the entrance into the country of persons and property at the land boundaries of the country. and he will also have the Customs Service. There would be a very intimate relationship between the two services I have mentioned and the Customs Service. because under the law whatever contraband goods may be seized. either by the Coast Guard or the border patrol service. must be turned over for administrative purposes to the Customs Service. Therefore we believe that this proposed setup presents a logical and practical solution of the question as to the department in which we shall create this unified borderpatrol service.
Keywords matched
border patrol