Washington,
D.C.–U.S.
Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Finance
Committee, delivered the following remarks at a hearing to consider the
nomination of Chris Magnus, of Arizona, to be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security.
The text of Ranking Member Crapo’s remarks, as
prepared, is below.
“Thank
you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Magnus, welcome.
“U.S.
Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, is the nation’s largest federal law
enforcement agency. It needs to be. Its responsibilities are
staggering.
“CBP
is tasked with facilitating lawful international trade and travel. The
United States is a leader in international commerce—and that leadership depends
on ensuring that lawful trade and visits flow smoothly. It also requires
that we safeguard our borders from terrorists, drug traffickers, and
transnational criminals.
“In
2020—a year where the pandemic curtailed trade and travel—the 63,000 men and
women of CBP on an average day: processed 650,000 passengers and 77,000 truck,
rail, and sea containers; arrested 39 criminals at U.S. ports of entry; seized
3,600 pounds of drugs; caught $3.6 million worth of products that infringe
intellectual property rights; and discovered 250 pests that could potentially
cause untold damage to U.S. farmers.
“But
CBP’s work is not just point of entry inspections.
“CBP
also undertakes sophisticated investigations to ensure our customs laws are
properly enforced. This includes identifying actors who try to smuggle
goods made with forced labor into the United States or evade our antidumping or
countervailing duties.
“Deliberate
evasion of antidumping and countervailing duties not only undercuts revenue
lawfully owed to the government, but prevents our workers and businesses from
redressing unfair trade practices.
“Softwood
lumber producers in my home state of Idaho rely on antidumping and
countervailing measures to combat unfair trade—and CBP’s work ensures that
those measures are effective.
“CBP
also maintains international operations. CBP operates Attaché Offices in
23 countries around the world. Its Container Security Initiative screens
containers that pose a risk of terrorism at foreign ports before they are
placed on vessels destined for the United States. Through this program,
CBP can prescreen over 80 percent of all maritime containerized cargo imported
into the United States.
“Under
normal circumstances, overseeing all of this work would require extraordinary
skill, experience, and judgment. But these are not normal times.
“Specifically,
I am referring to the heartbreaking situation unfolding on our southern
border.
“In
August of this year, CBP had over 200,000 encounters on the southwest border,
significantly higher that the preceding August that had only 50,000 encounters
which, itself, was down from 60,000 in August of 2019.
“In
fiscal year 2021 there were 1.4 million encounters, even without accounting for
September numbers that are not yet known, which is more than double the 458,000
encounters in fiscal year 2020.
“Once
in office, the Administration’s initial approach to this surge was to downplay,
or worse, undermine its own tools to address it. It eliminated the
successful “Remain in Mexico” policy, known as the Migrant Protection
Protocols.
“This
program wisely required certain migrants to remain in Mexico while their claims
were decided. The sudden termination of the program was not only rash,
but—as confirmed by the Supreme Court in August—contrary to law.
“Moreover,
the men and women of CBP have been left demoralized and adrift by the
Administration’s approach. Indeed, the President of the Federal Law
Enforcement Officers Association has written that the Administration needs to
‘stop blaming the federal law enforcement officers at the border—who are over
tasked, under resourced, and underappreciated. It is the lack of a
coherent strategy that has escalated the crisis at the border, not the border
officers.’
“In
sum, the crisis—and that is precisely what it is—is absolutely
unacceptable. This Committee must ensure that CBP is headed by someone
who has the requisite ability and commitment to end it as soon as
possible.
“Failing
to ensure as much will only prolong this tragedy.
“Accordingly,
I look forward to hearing the nominee’s testimony and his responses to
questions.”