Federal budget looks to add 2,000 customs officers

Included in the massive federal budget bill awaiting President Barack Obama's signature is funding for 2,000 additional customs officers at the country's ports of entry.

Customs and Border Protection will receive $225.7 million in federal funds to hire the officers as part of the 2014 Appropriations bill.

“Increasing the number of men and women in blue who man our ports of entry is a huge step in addressing delays at our ports of entry,” said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar in a statement. “… This new increase of CBP officers will achieve the goal of facilitating trade, travel and boost economic development.”

Laredo is the largest land port of entry in the nation, accounting for 44.91 percent of all U.S.-Mexico trade. An estimated 12,000 commercial trucks cross the World Trade and Columbia bridges each day.

According to a 2008 Department of Commerce study, border delays at the five busiest southern border ports of entry, which include Laredo, cost the economy 26,000 jobs and $6 billion.

The increased CBP officers at ports of entry will speed up customs clearance, aiding in the flow of traffic and spurring economic development, Cuellar added. He announced the funds along with Republican U.S. Rep. John Carter, who is chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations committee.

“We must decrease the unacceptable delays that many of our Texas ports have been experiencing for years, which has hindered trade and job growth,” Carter said. “This program is a significant step in the right direction to help increase business, spur American job growth and strengthen commerce in our local port communities, which help drive our country’s economic success.”

CBP operates 329 ports of entry while patrolling nearly 2,000 miles of border with Mexico, 4,000 miles with Canada and 2,600 miles of coastal waters. In the fiscal year 2012, CBP processed more than 350 million travelers and facilitated $2.3 trillion dollars worth of trade.

It remains unclear how the 2,000 new positions would be distributed among the country's 329 ports of entry. There are already more than 21,000 customs officers.

A Government Accountability Office report las - See more at: http://m.lmtonline.com/articles/2014/01/17/front/news/doc52d99bb0ee1f8960547450.txt#sthash.O0Dyff4Q.dpuf