April 13, 2007 — A four-day tour through the Latin American and Caribbean regions has given members of the Homeland Security Committee Congressional Delegation (CODEL) a better insight into local border patrol and security issues and the ability, says one member, to draft a more "comprehensive" national homeland security bill.
During a press conference held Friday on St. Thomas, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson — accompanied by Delegate Donna M. Christensen and members of the House's Committee on Homeland Security — called the trip more of a "fact-finding mission," designed to check whether or not homeland security procedures used in both regions are up to snuff with congressional standards.
"We also wanted to see whether places in the Caribbean have put in place the necessary partnerships with the U.S. government, or whether they need extra help in certain areas. That's why we came — to look at any gaps in security, to look at the resources and to look at what's working around the regions," he added.
Thompson, who represents the second district of Mississippi, also serves as the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, of which Christensen is a part.
According to Christensen, the nine-member delegation began its journey on Tuesday, working their way through Mexico, Honduras, the British Virgin Islands and the territory in an attempt to meet with various government officials and law enforcement representatives.
Christensen said that while in the territory, the group was able meet with local homeland security personnel, along with Gov. John P. deJongh Jr., and took a tour of the local coastline in an attempt to emphasize the need for a permanent marine patrol presence. Over the past few years, Christensen has aggressively campaigned for a border patrol unit, which would help secure the territory's waters and curb the inflow of illegal weapons, drugs and immigrants.
While members of the delegation said they were "impressed" by local homeland security efforts, they also said the trip had "brought to light" several pressing issues within the Caribbean region.
"The value of this CODEL is that it speaks to the issue of the war on terrorism, where our responsibility is to the totality of security," said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. "We can't just safeguard the nation's biggest airports — we have to look at all areas of vulnerability. So, the trip has really opened my eyes to issues such as the flow of illegal immigrants and the potential paths a terrorist could take into these areas."
Thompson also highlighted the region's need for more equipment and manpower. "Most of the assets in the area are stationed in Puerto Rico," he explained. "And while they do a good job, it's still a far shout, in some instances, from Puerto Rico to some of the islands."
One of Christensen's concerns centered upon the need to balance the local security issues with the territory's economic needs. "A few of the complaints we've been hearing have come from tourists who have to go through customs screening in the Virgin Islands," she said. "We're talking about double screenings at the airport, long lines and disgruntled passengers. The issue here is that we don't want our efforts to keep the Virgin Islands safe to negatively affect the people that come here."
Christensen added that the committee would look at working with officials from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs Service to streamline the screening process.
While some of the region's security issues are critical, the group remained positive about the next few steps of the fact-finding process, which includes traveling to Key West, Fla., holding additional committee hearings, and making reports to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
"All in all, it was a successful visit, and we really saw a willingness on the part of all governments to form partnerships, so we can deal with nautical trafficking, illegal immigration and other such issues," Thompson said. "I think by working together, we will be able to meet the security goals of each country, and eventually be able to put together a comprehensive policy to address some of the dilemmas and problems we saw and heard over the past few days."
Back Talk

Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.