WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement after meeting with Governor Kristi Noem, President-elect Trump’s intended nominee to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
“As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I am focused on strengthening the safety and security of Michigan communities. Today, I met with Governor Noem, where we discussed our shared commitment to keeping our nation safe, Michigan’s unique security needs and the most pressing national security threats facing our homeland.
“I pressed Governor Noem for her commitment to ensure that, if confirmed, she will make security at our Northern Border a priority along with the Department’s ongoing efforts to address needs at the Southern Border, including by continuing to build on the Northern Border Mission Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. We also discussed the work underway to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge next year and expand the customs plaza at the Blue Water Bridge, which represents two of the nation’s busiest trade corridors, and the need for the Department to provide adequate staffing at these ports of entry.
“I also raised concerns I have heard from my constituents about the Department’s travel screening processes, the need to increase transparency and accountability around these screenings, and the need to reform the redress process to provide Americans with a meaningful path to resolve their travel concerns. It is essential that the Department prioritize these reforms to ensure that the programs are effective in protecting our national security and the civil liberties of Americans.
“Finally, we discussed the importance of countering rapidly evolving threats, including cyber-attacks and the threats posed by unmanned drones. I appreciate Governor Noem’s willingness to have an open discussion about these and other homeland security issues, and I look forward to learning more about how she intends to lead the Department through the course of her confirmation process.”
During today’s meeting, Peters also pressed Governor Noem on how she would lead the Department through some of the reported policy changes that President-elect Trump is considering, including mass immigration enforcement policies that could lead to families being separated.
This week, Peters announced that his bipartisan legislation to strengthen Northern Border security was included as a provision in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which the House and Senate are currently working to pass. The provision, based on Peters’ bipartisan Northern Border Coordination Act, expands the operations and duties of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Northern Border Mission Center. Peters secured $3 million in March to establish and operate this Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, where it is collocated with current DHS components. The Center, which DHS is already working to set up, will coordinate 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.
Last December, Peters released a report identifying how screening practices at airports that build on and expand beyond the terror watchlist have ballooned over time. Peters’ report found that these practices, which repeatedly ensnare travelers who may pose no danger to national security, could be diverting critical counterterrorism resources away from identifying other serious security threats.
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