WASHINGTON, DC– Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Ranking Member and Chair of the Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, sent a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan asking for information as the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prepares for the end of Title 42 on May 11, 2023. 

Earlier this year, Lankford and Sinema introduced a bill to give the Commissioner of CBP the authority to repair ports along the southern border. 

In their letter, the Senators wrote, “As the Title 42 order is set to terminate on May 11, 2023, LPOES along the southern border in particular are preparing to navigate a potential influx in migration in addition to their normal trade, travel, and security missions. We are concerned that GSA’s work has not provided CBP with what they need at the time they need it for the challenges they face at our ports.” 

As the fentanyl crisis continues in the US, Lankford and Sinema are also concerned with GSA managing ports and how it will impact CBP’s ability to stop illegal drugs coming across the border, “In addition to its impact on our trade obligations, we are concerned about the impact of aging port infrastructure on our cross-border security needs. CBP interdicted nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl at LPOEs along the southern border in FY2022, and CBP has already interdicted almost 8,900 pounds of fentanyl in FY2023. This concerning trend suggests that fentanyl flows are continuing to significantly increase along the southern border, and we are concerned that our aging LPOE infrastructure is inhibiting our ability to put an end to the fentanyl crisis.”

A copy of the letter can be found HERE