[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21469]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     BORDER SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE

  (Mr. PASCRELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned about the State of 
our Nation's border security. If we cannot secure our land borders 
where 80 percent of all people enter our country, then we are simply 
not safe as a Nation.
  In 1994, there were 2.7 million truck crossings on the southern 
border. In 2003, this traffic increased to 4.2 million crossings. In 
1994, there were 66 million personal vehicles crossing into the United 
States from Mexico. In 2003, the number of personal vehicles rose to 88 
million, carrying 194 million passengers.
  These numbers cry out for a substantial investment in our borders, 
and what do we get? The administration has failed to meet our security 
and commercial needs by investing in our Nation's port of entry.
  In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security's own Data Management 
Improvement Act Task Force reported that more than 70 percent of the 
166 land ports of entry have inadequate infrastructure. What is the 
response? More investment? No. Typically, the administration shut down 
the task force. They are famous for that.
  We need a substantial investment in border infrastructure tied to a 
vulnerability assessment to ensure national security.

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