Largest Border Security Funding Increase In A Decade

Funding Bill Provides ‘The Tools We Need To Make A Change’

SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY JOHN KELLY: “This is our government's largest investment in border security in 10 years. We are … beginning to get the tools we need to make a change.” (White House Press Briefing, 5/02/2017)

‘The Largest Overall Increase In Border Security And Department Of Homeland Security Funding In The Last 10 Years’

“Congress is expected to vote on the biggest increase in border security funding in a long time this week …” (“Catch And Release Program Could End After Vote On Border Security Funding,” The [McAllen, TX] Monitor, 5/01/2017)

OMB DIRECTOR MICK MULVANEY: “As for DHS, $1.522 billion in additional DHS funding for border security. Keep in mind, that's on top of an $18.5 billion DHS base bill. So you're looking at the largest overall increase in border security and Department of Homeland Security funding in the last 10 years.” (OMB Press Briefing, 5/2/2017)

For Border Security ‘You Need People, You Need Technology And You Need Infrastructure. This Budget Begins To Provide All Three’

SECRETARY KELLY: “Border security has three factors: You need people, you need technology and you need infrastructure. This budget begins to provide all three. It will help us replace see-through steel wall along the Southwest border. It will help us put more enforcement aircraft in the skies. It will help us to deploy more technology to stop illegal activity crossing our borders. It keeps us moving in the right direction, to a more secure United States….” (White House Press Briefing, 5/02/2017)

People

The bill includes funding for all frontline Customs & Border Protection agents. (Senate Appropriations Committee)

“The spending also includes … 100 additional officers to enforce immigration laws and funding for programs that increase coordination with local authorities on immigration enforcement.” (Reuters, 5/01/2017)

The bill also includes significant increases above the request for enforcement priorities, including: $10 million for units targeting at-large criminal aliens; $10 million for investigations of those who overstay their visas; $15 million for countering human trafficking, human smuggling, and child exploitation; and $22 million for more prosecutors to expedite the immigration court docket. (Senate Appropriations Committee)

The bill funds the Executive Office for Immigration Review as a separate, stand-alone account for the first time and provides $440 million, which includes funding for 10 new Immigration Judge Teams. (Senate Appropriations Committee)

Technology

MULVANEY: “…you’re looking at tremendous increases in technology along the border, in maintenance along the border, in replacing gates and roads and bridges.” (OMB Press Briefing, 5/2/2017)

The bill increases funding for the Border Security Deployment Program, unmanned aerial systems, multi-role enforcement aircraft, light helicopters, port and border building facilities, replaces ineffective border barriers in high-priority locations, and border technology, including at ports of entry. It also contains $6 million to improve ICE data systems to enhance reporting on immigration enforcement. (Senate Appropriations Committee)

Infrastructure

MULVANEY: “[T]he picture I showed yesterday was this 20-foot-high steel, what they call a bollard wall. It is the preferred wall of choice for General Kelly over at DHS. It’s what the border patrol folks want. It’s the most effective type of wall they have, the safest they have to work with, and the one that’s actually the most cost effective to build.” FOX NEWS’ STEVE DOOCY: “So there is wall money in there.” MULVANEY: “Yes, sir. There is 350-odd million dollars to build that type of wall here in just the next five months.” (Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” 5/03/2017)

“Congress has agreed to fund an additional 5,300 detention beds for illegal immigrants, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee said … The additional detention space was negotiated by Republican leaders …” (Reuters, 5/01/2017)

The bill includes funding for 39,324 detention beds, a 5,324 bed increase over last year. (Senate Appropriations Committee)

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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

Related Issues: Law Enforcement, Homeland Security, Infrastructure, Immigration, Appropriations

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