Max Baucus: “this is quite an important amendment for our Nation's security. I think it will help strengthen a key component of our…”

“this is quite an important amendment for our Nation's security. I think it will help strengthen a key component of our national security strategy. We all know our Nation's security begins here at home, by securing our land borders, our airspace, and also our maritime ports. As we work to get the latest explosive screening technology in our airports, or to inspect more containers arriving in our Nation's ports, we should not forget the critical role of our vast northern border. Contrary to what some people may think, out on the northern border we are no strangers to illegal crossings. The topography in my State of Montana makes it very difficult to protect our border. Customs and Border Patrol are doing a great job with the resources they have, but Immigration and Customs enforcement investigators are just a little bit undermanned. They share valuable information they collect on illegal entries with numerous agencies. But when it comes to tracking and intercepting unauthorized aircraft, our military planes fly much too high and too fast to provide proper service along our northern border. As we beef up our security on other borders, especially in the South and on the coasts, the northern border has become the Nation's backdoor that we cannot afford to leave unlocked.”