President Barack Obama signed last week the Northern Border Security Review Act, which passed Congress with bipartisan support and aims to assess and strengthen security at the U.S. border with Canada.
The legislation would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to evaluate security threats at the border through a comprehensive assessment of current resources and personnel levels at and between ports of entry. Provisions in the bill also address coordination challenges with federal and local law enforcement, as well as how to recruit and retain a strong border security workforce.
The Northern Border stretches more than 5,500 miles, including a 1,500 mile stretch between Canada and Alaska, and features more than 120 official border crossings, many of which are in sparsely-populated rural areas. Approximately 300,000 people and $910 million in trade cross the border every single day, which is the largest bilateral flow of goods and people in the world.
“It’s absolutely critical that we have a secure Northern Border, and the comprehensive review triggered by this bill is a valuable step forward in assessing and strengthening those efforts on the ground,” U.S. Sens. Collins and King said in a joint statement. “We’re glad that the President has signed the Northern Border Security Review Act into law, and will continue to work with Maine law enforcement, federal partners, and other border community members with the shared goal of keeping Maine safe and secure.”
The bill was cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). It passed the House with unanimous support weeks after unanimous approval by the Senate.