[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 69 (Friday, May 24, 2002)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E917-E918] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] INTRODUCTION OF THE STRENGTHENING A FAST ENTRY AT THE BORDER ACT OF 2002 (SAFE BORDER) ______ HON. SUSAN DAVIS of california in the house of representatives Thursday, May 23, 2002 Ms. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about an opportunity to secure our borders and support commerce. Securing our borders has long been a challenge. Doing so must balance appropriate enforcement without hindering legitimate crossborder travel or commerce, and still protect civil liberties. However, the events of September 11, coupled with daily traffic between the U.S.-Mexico border, have severely overextended our border inspection resources. My district does not contain ports of entry, but its proximity to the border has affected it. I hear stories from my constituents about waiting in line for hours in the morning to commute to work. Long inspection lines are commonplace, with delays lasting several hours. This border congestion has negatively impacted San Diego area businesses. In response, I have been working with various organizations in the district to develop a strategy to provide relief for San Diego. I have heard from many about SENTRI, a dedicated commuter lane demonstration project at the border that integrates technology with law enforcement. SENTRI addresses the issues of congestion and long border delays by quickly moving low risk travelers lhrough the inspection process. Frequent travelers participate in the SENTRI program by undergoing an extensive background check and interview to verify their low risk status. Once approved, the participants and their registered vehicles enter the country through a traffic lane exclusively reserved for them. Transponders in the car retrieve the vehicle and occupant information from the SENTRI database and display it on a screen within the inspection booth for fast identification. A border agent then compares the car's occupants to the pictures on the screen, allowing them to quickly continue on their way. Demand for SENTRI passes has significantly increased since September 11. However, prospective participants encounter a tremendous application backlog. Applicants face up to a six-month waiting time to receive an appointment with the enrollment center and another three months for approval notification. As a result, I am introducing the Strengthening a Fast Entry at the Border Act or the SAFE Border Act of 2002. The SAFE Border Act will increase security by pre-screening more people and by allowing agents to focus their enforcement efforts on those who have not passed extensive background checks. Specifically, my legislation does three things: it gives the attorney general the authority to fully implement and make programs like SENTRI pen-nanent. Dedicated commuter lanes and PortPASS programs have clearly shown their effectiveness in maintaining security and expediting travel. I believe the nation can only benefit from further expansion of these programs. The second part allows INS and Customs personnel to devote more resources to prospective applicants by extending the permit renewal period to two years. By design, enrollees are a self-selected population. Focusing more attention to applicants will move more people out of the general commuter lanes and allow more background checks. Extending the renewal period will substantially reduce the waiting time for those seeking SENTRI approval and increase legitimate border traffic. The last part of my legislation encourages increased staffing and resource allocation to SENTRI. Our borders are protected by a dedicated group of Customs and INS officers. Their constant vigilance constitutes our first [[Page E918]] line of defense against threats and we owe them our gratitude. However, they need our federal assistance in carrying out their duties. I urge all of my colleagues in Congress to work with me to pass the SAFE Border Act quickly into law. ____________________