[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4348-4349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONCERNS OF INADEQUATE CBP STAFFING AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a great sense of 
urgency over the critical need to have more Customs and Border 
Protection officers at Miami International Airport, known as MIA. MIA, 
which I humbly represent, is not only the busiest airport in the State 
of Florida, but it is also the second largest international gateway in 
the Nation. In fact, international passenger traffic at MIA has 
steadily grown over the last few years far more than any other U.S. 
international gateway. However, the insufficient Customs and Border 
Protection officers, known as CBP, staffing levels at MIA pose a threat 
to this welcome growth of travel and tourism into our country.
  Passengers are experiencing long wait times for immigration and 
customs processing. For example, just a few days ago, last Wednesday, 
the 7,681 passengers who arrived at the Federal Inspection Service at 
MIA's North Terminal were held in line for more than 2 hours. Out of 
the 72 lanes available to assist passengers, only 20 were open. And 
there is only one simple explanation for this problem. CBP staffing 
does not meet the numbers needed for the safe and efficient processing 
of passengers and cargo going through our airport.
  As time passes by, this endemic problem has only proven to 
deteriorate. The Miami-Dade congressional delegation and MIA officials 
have long been focused on how to fix this problem while ensuring a safe 
and seamless travel experience for our local residents and our many, 
many visitors.
  Earlier this week, I wrote a letter to Secretary Johnson of the 
Department of Homeland Security asking for his immediate action on 
alleviating the ongoing shortage of CBP officers, a deficiency that 
sets back efforts to make Florida competitive; and it hurts our travel 
and tourism, two vital engines to our Nation's economy.
  The entire Miami-Dade congressional delegation, including our 
Senators, is united on this bipartisan, bicameral effort.
  With a strategic location to handle connections between the Americas 
and

[[Page 4349]]

Europe, MIA serves as the doorstep to the United States. In 2013, a 
record 40 million passengers passed through MIA's doors as they made 
their way to their final destinations. These people come to our port of 
entry either to visit south Florida or to make connections to other 
national and international destinations. We need to welcome them with 
the world-class airport that MIA can be and not with long lines, 
hassles, and congestion.
  Under the leadership of Dr. Emilio Gonzalez, the director of the 
Miami-Dade Aviation Department, MIA has taken a number of steps to ease 
the lack of CBP officers. How have they done this? Installing automated 
passport control self-serve kiosks; also, increasing the Miami-Dade 
Aviation Department staffing, participating in a reimbursable fee 
agreement pilot program approved by Congress which allows for needed 
overtime, and by closing certain gateways in order to concentrate CBP 
officers in appropriate areas.
  However, despite MIA's innovative approach, CBP's insufficient 
staffing levels continue to pose serious challenges to the airport's 
daily operations. With the growing number of passengers arriving or 
transitioning through MIA and with the World Cup in Brazil approaching, 
MIA will have an even busier summer. We need to be prepared. And that 
is why we ask for Secretary Johnson's assistance in providing much-
needed CBP staffing and to remember that MIA's success is our Nation's 
success.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot stress enough the pressing need for Federal 
staffing at MIA, which will only allow for a further streamlining of 
long lines and will also help in the reduction of wait times for 
visitors and for residents, alike.

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