David Price: “The Customs and Border Protection pre- clearance program, Madam Chairman, serves a critical national security function…”

“The Customs and Border Protection pre- clearance program, Madam Chairman, serves a critical national security function by stationing CBP officers abroad at the cost of the host nation. This allows CBP officers to screen and make admissibility decisions on individuals, goods and baggage long before they ever leave a foreign port or could possibly become a threat to the homeland. I myself have been screened as a part of pre-clearance operations in Canada and Ireland. Apparently, these operations offer not only a convenience for travelers but also an effective and efficient way of carrying out security operations. {time} 2320 In fiscal year 2012 alone, CBP officers and agriculture specialists pre-cleared more than 1.5 million travelers destined to the United States. To outright prohibit the expansion of this program to an area of the world where we know terrorists are actively traveling and training and seeking to carry out missions of harm against the homeland simply makes no sense whatsoever. I understand many domestic airlines have expressed concern that this deal would somehow give UAE-based airlines an upper hand, but there are some facts that aren't disputed and we simply should consider. For one, CBP has stated numerous times that access to Abu Dhabi for American carriers would be a precondition of implementing preclearance there.…”