Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Smith for that argument. I also rise in support of the Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act. H.R. 529, authored and introduced by my good friend Mike Waltz, would extend the customs waters of the United States from 12 to 24 nautical miles, a change that would expand the coastal area in which Customs and Border Patrol's Air and Marine Operations can exercise their law enforcement authority to combat smuggling of illegal narcotics; to stem the flow of human trafficking; and, yes, to secure our borders. CBP's Air and Marine Operations, or as I will refer to them, AMO, plays an important role in preventing the unlawful entry by sea of goods and people into our Nation, as Chairman Smith indicated. Our coastal domain is over 95,000 miles long. It is an area that is more open and maneuverable than air and land, and thus, it is more vulnerable to being penetrated by transnational criminal organizations. The issue, though, is that the current law prevents AMO from stopping those smugglers or exercising its law enforcement authorities more than 12 nautical miles from shore, even though, as you heard, the contiguous waters of the United States extend out to 24 nautical miles.…”