Speech #990284252

Last year the Border Patrol broke all previous records for drug seizures between ports of entry along our southern land border. These seizures were more than any other enforcement agency including DEA and Customs combined. There is good reason for this: The INS is the physical presence of the Federal Government along our Southern border. More specifically. the Border Patrol has had primary enforcement authority on the border. 2.700 of the total force of just under 3.500 agents are assigned to border service. After all. this is where the problems of illegal entry and smuggling of drugs are the worst. The trends are truly alarming. The INS just announced a recordbreaking year for drug seizuresover 3.000 with a street value of over $170 million. In September. near Campo. CA. the Border Patrol made the largest seizure or cocaine and "crack"-some 1.300 pounds. worth an estimated $150 millionin the history of border seizures. What makes the Border Patrol good at this dangerous job is its capability and extensive training. tracking. intelligence gathering. Spanish language capability. and the use of sophisticated equipment and techniques. If new financial resources are to be made available to enhance border surveillance activities. certainly the lions share of these resources should be allocated to the agency that has the prime responsibility for border enforcement.