U.S. Congressman John Boozman 3rd District of Arkansas

Homeland Security

As your Representative in Congress, the security of our nation, both its citizens and sovereignty, is one of my greatest responsibilities. I am committed to working with all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that we never again experience a tragedy similar to that of September 11, 2001, nor any other terrorist acts. I believe that this is a non-partisan issue on which all Americans can set their differences aside and agree. 

The events of September 11th showed us that we must remain vigilant in the protection of our nation. A key element of that security is the securing of its borders and ports of entry. Our porous southern border is a liability that serves as a highway for illegal immigration and drug trafficking. If we are to have a secure nation, we must secure our borders and control the human and commercial traffic passing through them. However, our security efforts are not limited to our borders, but must extend inside and outside them. These efforts include pursuing our nation’s enemies in the Global War on Terror, establishing and maintaining a robust intelligence network, protecting our infrastructure, judicial action that brings justice to terrorists and other illegal enemy combatants, and an effective diplomatic apparatus. 

My seat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has enabled me to actively participate in the debates over how to protect our skies and ports. Since joining the House, I have voted for legislation that will strengthen our borders; protect our ports; help prepare the nation to respond to domestic emergencies; and arm pilots to defend the cockpit against hijackers.

During the 111th Congress, I will continue to use commonsense Arkansas values and work with my colleagues to enact legislation that addresses our nation’s most pressing security challenges while protecting the Constitutional rights guaranteed to all American citizens.

Congressional Research Service Reports:

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is part of the legislative branch of the federal government. CRS, which is a department of the Library of Congress, works exclusively as a nonpartisan analytical, research, and reference arm for Congress.

CRS Reports are in PDF format. In order to view these files, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC. You can download the free reader from Adobe's website. These files may be rather large and may take a few minutes to download.

CRS Issue Statement on Border Security

Border and Transportation Security: The Complexity of the Challenge 

Border Security: The Role of the U.S. Border Patrol