Written by Joshua Miner for the Sun Community News on September 17, 2020
PLATTSBURGH | Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has helped introduce the Integrating New Technologies to Empower Law-Enforcement (INTEL) at Our Borders Act to the House of Representatives – a piece of bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to use new technology to address security issues on the border.
The bill requires the agency to assess their current use of emerging technology in securing the borders and to identify any gaps in security along either border. Should gaps be identified, DHS is tasked with exploring how new technology can assist in those situations.
“As co-chair of the Northern Border Caucus, I work closely with local leaders to introduce legislation that supports our unique northern border needs,” Stefanik said. “I am proud to co-introduce this bipartisan legislation, which will shed light on the unique difficulties that our Custom and Border Protection personnel and other law enforcement experience, including a shortage of agents available, and provide DHS with a framework to make improvements.”
DHS is also asked to explain to Congress how their existing legacy programs will be replaced with newer, more efficient tools. They will also be asked to evaluate their effectiveness going forward, as well as working to research and develop their own tools to improve security at the border.
In the bill, the lack of personnel along the Canadian border is also addressed – as the northern border is roughly twice the length of the southern border.
The agency is also asked to detail how they are incentivizing private businesses to develop these technologies.
With our proximity to the border, Stefanik said it is important to address any potential gaps in security there.
“Because of the unique geography of the northern border, the implementation of new emerging technologies is also an important component of this bill. I will continue to work with our U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and DHS to advocate for our northern border at the federal level, and I look forward to advancing this legislation in a bipartisan fashion.”
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