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Volume 3
Vitiello: on “Nat’l Security:
Threats at our Borders”
Along the more than 5,000 miles of land border with
Canada and Mexico, and approximately 95,000 miles of
shoreline, DHS works with our interagency, and state and
local partners to secure our borders and the associated
airspace and maritime approaches to protect the United
States against terrorist threats and prevent illegal entry of
people and goods into the United States while also
facilitating lawful trade and travel.
The border environment is dynamic and requires
adaptation to respond to emerging threats and changing
conditions. We appreciate the partnership and support we
have received from these Subcommittees, whose
commitment to the security of the American people has
enabled the continued deployment of resources and
capabilities DHS needs to secure the border.
Ronald Vitiello, Acting Chief, CBP U.S. Border Patrol
Advanced Technology and Capabilities
Thanks to the support of Congress, CBP has deployed
capable resources to increase our situational awareness,
identify changes in the border environment, and rapidly
respond, as appropriate, to emerging threats and areas of
increasing risk. The use of technology in the border
environment is an invaluable force multiplier to increase
situational awareness.
At and Beyond U.S. Ports of Entry
On a typical day, CBP welcomes nearly one million
travelers at our air, land, and sea POEs. From 2012 to
2015 the volume of international air travelers increased by
14 percent and is projected to increase 4 to 5 percent each
year for the next five years. CBP continues to address the
security elements of its mission while meeting the
challenge of increasing volumes of travel in air, land, and
sea environments. We do this through programs that
enable us to assess the risk of passengers from the earliest
and furthest possible points, and at each point in the travel
continuum.
At our POEs, CBP has aggressively deployed NonIntrusive Inspection (NII) and Radiation Portal Monitor
(RPM) technology to help identify contraband and weapons
of mass effect. Prior to September 11, 2001, only 64 largescale NII systems, and not a single RPM, were deployed to
our country’s borders. Today CBP has 311 NII systems and
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April 2016 Edition
1,282 RPMs deployed. The result of this investment in
resources is the capacity for CBP to scan 99 percent of all
containerized cargo at seaports and 100 percent of
passenger and cargo vehicles at land borders for
radiological and nuclear materials upon arrival in the United
States.
Because we have advance travel information, CBP has the
opportunity to assess passenger risk long before a traveler
arrives at a POE. Before an individual travels to the United
States, CBP has the opportunity to assess that person’s
risk via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization for
those traveling under the Visa Waiver Program, or as part
of the inter-agency collaborative effort to adjudicate and
continuously vet visas. CBP has additional opportunities to
assess a traveler’s risk when he or she purchases a ticket
and/or makes a reservation and when he or she checks-in.
Before an international flight departs for the United States
from the foreign point of origin, commercial airlines transmit
passenger and crew manifest information to CBP. CBP’s
National Targeting Center then reviews traveler information
to identify travelers who could be determined to be
inadmissible upon arrival. Through its Regional Carrier
Liaison Groups and Immigration Advisory and Joint
Security Programs, CBP coordinates with the carriers to
prevent these travelers from boarding flights bound for the
United States. In FY 2015, using these pre-departure
programs, CBP prevented 11,611 high-risk travelers from
boarding flights. These efforts reduce or eliminate the