Speech #CREC-2017-05-17-pt1-PgH4271_t13

Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2281, the Border Enforcement Security Task Force Reauthorization Act of 2017. Mr. Speaker, this bill, H.R. 2281, seeks to reauthorize the Border Enforcement Security Task Force, or BEST, program within the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leads 42 BEST units across 16 States within the United States and Puerto Rico. Each unit is comprised of members from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies who investigate criminal activity along the southwest and northern borders and at the Nation's major seaports. These units play a critical role in advancing DHS' border security efforts by ensuring all levels of domestic law enforcement are sharing information and leveraging resources. BEST units have been instrumental in coordinating joint operations with our law enforcement partners in Mexico to thwart threats posed by transnational criminal organizations. This legislation is in furtherance of my efforts as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Boder and Maritime Security to bolster law enforcement collaboration on cross-border threats and to ensure that resources are used in a strategic manner to effectively mitigate such threats, particularly in response to the drug cartels.