U.S. BORDER AGENCY LEADERS ENDORSE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT

U.S. BORDER AGENCY LEADERS ENDORSE HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT    At a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill this week, heads of the major border enforcement agencies endorsed President Bush’s proposed Homeland Security Department.
   “The U.S. Customs Service is proud of its long history as a bureau within the Department of the Treasury, but we fully and unequivocally support the president’s proposal and strongly believe that the new Department of Homeland Security will play a key role in safeguarding the American people,” said Customs Commissioner Robert C. Bonner to members of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Monday.
   Various House committees this week are considering language for the development of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, H.R. 5005. The bill proposes to transfer the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Customs, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Agency, and the Secret Service, among others, to a Homeland Security Department.
   “The law enforcement role of the Department of Homeland Security will focus on border security and the training of state and local officials to prepare for and respond to terrorist attacks,” said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.
   “The continuity of security from our borders throughout our transportation system is essential,” said John W. Magaw, undersecretary of the Transportation Department’s TSA. “The protection of these modes and the passengers, cargo, and conveyances traveling through them is a responsibility that must be shared by border-management agencies and TSA. TSA’s ability to coordinate with border-management agencies will be enhanced if it is part of the same organization and has access to shared systems.”
   But a merger of border enforcement agencies into a Homeland Security Department is not expected to dilute the individual missions of the agencies.
   “Under the president’s plan, Customs will continue to administer and enforce our customs laws, protect our borders against terrorists and terrorist weapons, and facilitate the flow of legitimate commerce,” Bonner said.