[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S1599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. DOMENICI:
  S. 2716. A bill to authorize the National Guard to provide support 
for the border control activities of the United States Customs and 
Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other 
purposes; read the first time.
  Mr. DOMENICI Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that 
builds upon border security successes achieved as part of Operation 
Jump Start by continuing that effort and allowing Governors to use 
their respective State's National Guard units for border activities in 
support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP.
  As a border State Senator, I know firsthand the need to secure our 
international borders because every day I hear from constituents who 
must deal with illegal entries into our country. We have a crisis on 
our borders, and the status quo is not acceptable.
  I also know firsthand the improvements in border security we have 
made over the past few years. One of those successes has come in the 
form of Operation Jumpstart, which was an initiative begun in the 
summer of 2006 to allow National Guardsmen from across America to 
deploy to the southwest border in support of CBP. This program proved 
successful almost immediately. During the summer of 2006, Border Patrol 
agents apprehended more than 2,500 illegal immigrants in about 6 weeks 
with the support of National Guardsmen. Tens of thousands of pounds of 
illegal drugs were seized during the same time period.
  The program is also beneficial to the National Guard. Deploying as 
part of Operation Jumpstart has allowed these men and women to gain 
valuable training in areas including construction, vehicle maintenance, 
technology support, aviation support, intelligence support, 
surveillance and reconnaissance support, and intelligence analysis.
  Despite these successes, Operation Jumpstart is being phased out; 
there are fewer National Guardsmen on the border today than there were 
a year ago. I believe to phase out this mutually beneficial work 
between CBP and the National Guard is a mistake, and National Guardsmen 
should be able to continue helping to secure our border.
  For that reason, I am introducing legislation that addresses this 
need in two ways. First, the bill calls for the continuation of 
Operation Jumpstart at its initial level of 6,000 guardsmen on the 
southwest border until we have control of that border. Second, the bill 
expands existing Federal law that allows Governors to utilize their 
State's guardsmen for drug interdiction and counterdrug activities to 
allow Governors to also utilize their State's guardsmen for border 
control activities, including constructing roads, fences, and vehicle 
barriers, conducting search and rescue missions, gathering 
intelligence, repairing infrastructure, and otherwise supporting CBP. 
The legislation provides that in order to utilize guardsmen for border 
activities, Governors must submit plans to the Secretary of Defense 
regarding the use of the Guard, and the plans must be approved by the 
Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland 
Security. Additionally, the Secretary of Defense would be required to 
submit an annual report to Congress regarding the activities carried 
out as part of this work under my bill.
  Mr. President, I believe our National Guardsmen are an invaluable 
asset in securing our borders, and I believe guardsmen should be able 
to continue working on the border.

                          ____________________