Selfridge Air National Guard Base Addition to Reinforce Northern Border and Partnership with DHS
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI) have written to express concerns over the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) lack of progress on the Northern Border Mission Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan. The Center is designed to ensure that DHS has what it needs to most effectively secure the Northern Border. In the letter, the senators urge Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to take action towards progressing the Center towards it’s completion.
The Northern Border Mission Center will provide a setting for DHS personnel to train and for border security technology to be tested. The Center will coordinate with cross-functionally between the state and local stakeholders to assist DHS in fulfilling its border security mission and preventing threats from the Northern Border, including human and drug trafficking.
“We write to you as Senators representing Northern Border states to discuss the importance of the Department of Homeland Security Northern Border Mission Center,” wrote the senators. “While we appreciate your commitments to working on building out the Center, we fear that the Department has not provided adequate attention to this requirement and ask that you direct DHS and its components to fully build out the Center to help secure our Northern Border.”
The senators continued: “As you are well aware, DHS and its components face evolving challenges along our borders, from illicit cross-border use of drones to drug trafficking. The Northern Border is 5,525 miles and ranges from urban to rural, mountains to Great Lakes, and other factors that make it a complex operating environment for DHS.”
“The Center was authorized to address these very challenges,” concluded the senators. “Through these efforts, the Center will enhance situational awareness at the Northern Border by ensuring there are personnel and activities dedicated to the Northern Border.”
Full text of the letter is available here.
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