Macomb Daily
U.S. Rep. Candice Miller on Tuesday pushed for greater coordination and consolidation among Coast Guard and Border Patrol agents on the waterways to protect the U.S.-Canadian border along the Great Lakes.
As chair of the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, Miller held a hearing to question top officials from the Coast Guard and the Customs and Border Patrol about progress in streamlining the border protection process. But the Harrison Township Republican received few answers.
“The Coast Guard and the CBP have all these boats, these small boats, and yet they have different platforms, one is, I think, 33 feet and the other is 38 feet, so there is no coordination there,” Miller said after the hearing.
A universal platform would save purchasing costs but manpower is also an issue, Miller added. The Coast Guard and CBP have about 1,000 small patrol boats, and about two dozen harbors across the U.S. serve as home to watercraft for the two agencies. Yet, they don’t always work in concert.
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Coast Guard has added approximately 6,000 employees and the CBP has beefed up its manpower by 20,000.
But Miller questions the use of that work force after one federal report found questionable coordination between federal border protection agencies and local law enforcement agencies.
“We’re not going to have more (federal) resources for a long period of time so … we have invested in the resources but we’re not necessarily using them in the most efficient way,” Miller said.
To keep the border secure, the congresswoman wants to invest more in drones – unmanned aerial vehicles – remote-controlled robots, and software called “Watch keeper” that provides high-tech analysis of how to best deploy manpower and resources.
The panel that testified before the subcommittee included: Michael Kostelnik of the Office of CBP Air and Marine protection; Coast Guard Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft, assistant commandant for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship; and St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon.
Donnellon said several St. Clair County agencies work closely with federal agents – the narcotics task force, the dive team, the Marine Division, the jail, and the highway drug interdiction team.
The narrow St. Clair River, officials say, provides an inviting target region for those engaged in drug interdiction and human trafficking.
But Donnellon said his county has experienced three consecutive years of funding losses.
“We’ve made great strides to do more with less,” the sheriff said, “ but … any resources— or tools for resources — are extremely needed.”
Miller has held a succession of hearings after a federal report released in February warned that protection of the 4,000-mile border between the United States and Canada is riddled with holes and that the lack of security presents a greater terrorism threat than the porous U.S. Mexico border.
The subcommittee chair said she was particularly alarmed by the General Accountability Office report because it showed that the Homeland Security Department had invested $3 billion in upgraded security for the U.S.-Canadian border with little resulting impact.