U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will participate in a tour of Customs and Border Protection facilities on and near the Arizona-Mexico border with seven members of Congress on Sunday, Nov. 18.
The itinerary includes an inspection of tactical infrastructure, detention facilities and new technologies at the port of entry. The delegation will also observe Border Patrol night operations along one of the busiest stretches of the country’s southern border.
The Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector is the most porous section of the entire U.S.-Mexico Border: 48 percent of the drug traffic and 44 percent of the illegal human traffic enters the United States through this region. More than 1,000 illegal migrants and 2,700 pounds of narcotics cross into the sector every day.
"Border security is a top priority in Congress but most of my colleagues have never actually seen border operations up close," said Giffords. "In Southern Arizona, we know the complexities and challenges of stopping illegal immigrants and drugs. We are all too familiar with the crime and violence that is a direct result of the federal government’s failure to secure the border. My colleagues want to learn about the weaknesses and strengths of current border security policies – they are coming to the right place."
The delegation will tour the Nogales Border Patrol Station, view the border near the DeConcini Port of Entry and inspect the Border Patrol Checkpoint on Interstate 19.
The tour comes one week after the Government Accountability Office released an audit highly critical of U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations. The GAO found that the inspectors guarding ports of entry are often fatigued from excessive overtime, poorly trained, and frequently fail to question visitors entering the country.
The delegation includes House members John Barrow of Georgia, Brad Ellsworth of Indiana, Zach Space of Ohio, Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, Steve Kagen of Wisconsin, Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts, and Tim Mahoney of Florida. Giffords’ 9,000-square mile district in Southeastern Arizona shares a 114-mile border with Mexico.
Media interested in covering all or part of the tour should contact the congresswoman’s communications director.