Readout of Secretary Napolitano’s Visit to Texas

[The Patriot]

Readout of Secretary Napolitano’s Visit to Texas

02-21-2012 04:00 AM

MCALLEN, Texas—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today traveled to McAllen, Texas and joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner David Aguilar to see CBP operations at the Southwest border, discuss the Department’s efforts to secure the border while facilitating lawful travel and trade, and meet with state and local law enforcement officials.*

“The men and women of CBP work hard every day to keep our borders safe while facilitating the trade and travel that are so essential to the economy of the Southwest region and the United States,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This administration has deployed unprecedented resources along the Southwest border and we continue to work closely with our partners at all levels—including other federal agencies, state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement, the private sector and the government of Mexico—to secure our border.”

Secretary Napolitano and Acting Commissioner Aguilar visited the Port of Hidalgo, Pharr Bridge, CBP’s Air and Marine Branch, and the Border Patrol Forward Operating Base near Falcon Heights where they saw some of CBP’s capabilities along the Southwest border as well as recent investments in personnel, technology and infrastructure.*

While in McAllen, Secretary Napolitano and Acting Commissioner Aguilar met with DHS employees in the region and held a roundtable discussion with state, local and tribal law enforcement partners to underscore the Department’s commitment to continuing to strengthen information and intelligence sharing along the Southwest border.

Nationwide, illegal immigration attempts, as measured by Border Patrol apprehensions, have decreased 53 percent in the past three years, and are less than 20 percent of what they were at their peak.

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.

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