WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10) ), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, today made the following comments regarding the Administration’s announcement to extend the current National Guard deployment along the Southwest border through December 31, 2011:

“The decision to extend the National Guard’s deployment along our Southwest border is necessary to curb the illegal activity taking place along the border. Today, more than 1,200 National Guardsmen and women serve as valuable force multipliers and are assisting the U.S Border Patrol as we continue to secure the nation’s border, working in concert to interdict weapons and drugs and curb illegal border crossings. While this extension is a step in the right direction, I am concerned that the Administration lacks a long-term strategy to secure the border. We cannot keep using short-term fixes. I call on the President and his Administration to work with Congress on a comprehensive plan to secure the border.”

Note: Chairman Miller has introduced H.R. 1299, The Secure Border Act of 2011, legislation which would direct the Secretary of DHS to develop a strategy for securing the borders within five years. On June 2, the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security passed an amended version of the legislation.

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