U.S. Representative Chris Collins is co-sponsoring legislation in the House meant to strengthen security at points of entry along the U.S. border. It also requires biometric entry-exit screenings along the border, but would exempt U.S. and Canadian citizens from being screened.
"We have to know who is coming over," Collins said Tuesday. "We have to have the protections here in place to apprehend those we don't want coming in."
The Border Security for America Act was proposed Friday by Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican. Some key points in the legislation include authorizing a southern border wall, increasing the number of border patrol agents and targeting illegal immigration and drug trafficking at points of entry.
Collins helped draft pieces of the bill that exempt American and Canadian citizens from submitting to biometric screenings at the border.
“Our northern border is an economic asset to Western New York and we need to make sure we move people and products across safely and effectively,” Collins said in a statement. “I am fully supportive of increased national security measures, like those included in this bill, but worked with my colleagues to make sure we avoid disruptions to both American and Canadian citizens that might result from new protocols.”
