Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule and the underlying bill. The bill, in fact, does weaken critical screening of potential CBP officers, and our country actually should be working to increase the security relative to CBP. CBP is essential. It is our first line of defense to stop terrorists, to stop drugs, to stop dangerous persons coming in, and we should not weaken our standards. Now, the overwhelming majority of CBP officers are honest, hardworking public servants. Crime and corruption has, however, been a persistent problem for the agency. Numerous CBP officers have been found to have strong connections to organized crime, including drug cartels. They are in prison now. In many cases, cartels try and infiltrate the CBP by recruiting people to apply for CBP positions. This results in illicit drug smuggling and other dangerous activities. In 2015, the CBP Integrity Advisory Panel found that--and this is a quote--``arrests for corruption of CBP personnel far exceed, on a per capita basis, such arrests at other Federal law enforcement agencies.'' In 2016, this same panel observed that ``corrupt CBP law enforcement personnel pose a national security threat.'' And it recommended that the current polygraph test be expanded, not reduced. Now, this bill allows for an exemption for local law enforcement and former members of the Armed Forces from the polygraph requirement.…”