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WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) released the following statement regarding the temporary deployment of 575 Texas U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to California in response to the migrant caravan:

“This afternoon, I spoke with CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, who provided me with an update on the current status of the caravan headed towards the U.S.-Mexico border. He informed me that CBP will temporarily deploy 575 CBP officers from Texas to the San Diego, California area in order to assist with the migrant caravan. During this discussion, I made the Commissioner aware of my concerns regarding the potential impacts to Texas land ports. Commissioner McAleenan has assured me that CBP will do everything possible to minimize the impacts to trade, retail, tourism, and Paisano seasonal traffic at all Texas port of entries.

“As a Representative of the border, I understand the necessity behind sending additional personnel to California on a temporary basis, to make certain that CBP has the capacity to provide intending migrants with access to the asylum process in an orderly manner. However, we need to ensure that this movement does not adversely impact our economy and security. In Texas, especially during the holidays, we see a high influx of tourism and flow of commerce that ultimately mobilizes our economy. Additionally, the State of Texas conducts over half of all trade between the U.S. and Mexico. 

“For these reasons, I will continue to work with CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, to ensure that all Texas ports of entry have the resources to efficiently process legitimate trade and travel into the U.S.”

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