Peters Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Establish Center to Coordinate Northern Border Security

DETROIT, MI – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced a bipartisan bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a Northern Border Coordination Center to be collocated with existing DHS components that are currently operating out of Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The Center would help improve coordination across DHS and with state, local, and Tribal governments, and other key stakeholders, to ensure DHS and its operational components are able to fulfill their security mission at the Northern Border. The legislation comes after Peters hosted DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas in Michigan where they visited DHS facilities and personnel supporting Northern Border security at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

“The federal government must ensure the needs of the Northern Border are met and that DHS personnel have what they need to effectively secure the Northern Border,” said Senator Peters. “Selfridge Air National Guard Base already houses a number of DHS missions and this Center will work hand-in-hand with existing resources and capabilities, allowing the Department to further enhance efforts to ensure that the Northern Border’s security needs remain a priority.”

The Northern Border Coordination Act will require DHS to establish the Northern Border Coordination Center, to be collocated with an existing U.S. Border Patrol sector headquarters, the U.S. Border Patrol Northern Border Coordination Center, an Air and Marine Operations Branch, and a U.S. Coast Guard air station. The Center would support implementation of the Northern Border Security Strategy, help to track Northern Border security metrics, serve as a training location for DHS personnel and as a testing grounds for new border security technologies. The legislation also requires Air and Marine Operations to maintain quick reaction capabilities at the Center to support the border security mission along the Northern Border, including against the rising threat of illegal cross-border drone activity.

Peters has long worked to prioritize the needs of the Northern Border at and between ports of entry. He reintroduced legislation this Congress to address personnel shortages at ports of entry.  Peters previously helped secure $87 million for non-intrusive inspection systems, which have enabled U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers prevent illegal activities, like drug trafficking, at our ports of entry. He also helpedsecure $3.8 billion as a part of the bipartisan infrastructure law to help CBP upgrade border facilities to more efficiently and securely process travelers and trade at land border crossings.

Peters — who drilled at Selfridge while serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve — has been a champion for Selfridge. He recently participated in the groundbreaking for a new $28 million aircraft hangar made by possible by federal funding Peters secured through his work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The new 41,900 square-foot facility will transform two hangars into a new hangar equipped for fighter maintenance. The new facility will house maintenance on the main level and leadership/staff offices and classrooms on the second floor. Peters is pushing to secure a new fighter jet mission at Selfridge. In April, Peters convened a  bipartisan, bicameral meeting with Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI), the Michigan congressional delegation, and U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall to continue to push for a new, long-term fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. This meeting came after the Senators led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to Secretary Kendall calling for a new fighter mission at Selfridge. Peters, Stabenow, and the delegation have also introduced companion resolutions in the Senate and House to highlight the contributions of Selfridge.

Peters and Stabenow previously secured significant commitments from the Department of Defense, including a pledge that Selfridge will continue to play a “critical and ongoing role for our national security.”

Selfridge supports approximately 5,000 military and civilian jobs and generates an estimated $850 million in economic impact statewide.

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