▶ 0:09:12The committee on homeland security subcommittee on transportation and maritime security and subcommittee on border security and enforcement will come to order. Without objection, the chair may declare the committee in recess at any point. The purpose of this hearing is to examine the evolving tactics, geographic patterns, and operational strategies employed by transnational criminal organizations, including Mexican cartels, to exploit US maritime borders for drug smuggling, human trafficking, weapons trafficking, and other illegal activities.
▶ 0:09:42We will also evaluate the Department of Homeland Security's inter agency efforts, operational posture and resource allocations for maritime interdiction uh with particular emphasis on the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection, Air and Maritime Operations and Homeland Security investigations. I would like to thank our colleagues from the Border Security Enforcement Subcommittee for partnering with us on this joint hearing. And I recognize myself for an opening statement. Good morning.
▶ 0:10:11I want to thank everyone for being here today. I especially want to thank Chairman Guest and Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement for working with us to hold this joint hearing on a matter of growing importance and security for the American homeland. Transnational criminal organizations or TCOs remain agile and persistent adversaries.
▶ 0:10:31For years, these groups have exploited vulnerabilities at our southern border, our southern land border, where drug smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal immigration surged to historic levels under the Biden administration. Since the beginning of 2025, however, public data suggests a notable decline in many of these illegal flows. That progress is due in large part to the renewed focus and decisive actions being taken under the current Trump administration to restore control and enforce our laws.
▶ 0:11:02But as we improve security on land, we must not allow our maritime domain to become the next weak point. Increasingly, criminal networks are turning to the sea, where vast distances, patchwork jurisdictions, and limited real-time visibility offer TCOs a lower risk of detection and a high reward for moving contraband. Though maritime routes account for a smaller share of illegal u migration and narcotics trafficking compared to land routes, the threat remains serious.
▶ 0:11:31TCOs and other criminal actors are leveraging everything from go fast boats, fishing vessels, and narco submarines to container ships and commercial cargo fleets to move cocaine, synthetic drugs, weapons, and human cargo into the United The first half of this fiscal year alone, the US Coast Guard has already seized and offloaded more cocaine than it did in all of fiscal year 2024. A clear indicator that elicit maritime activity remains a persistent challenge despite improved enforcement act efforts.
▶ 0:12:02The scale and sophistication of these operations require an equally coordinated and capable response. As a representative of the Florida Keys and much of South Florida, I know firsthand how vulnerable our maritime borders can be. From the Caribbean to the Straits of Florida and up to the Atlantic coast, our region has long been a strategic target for smugglers and cartels seeking to center uh enter the US undetected. The threat to our ports, shipping routes, and coastal areas is not theoretical.
▶ 0:12:31It directly affects the day-to-day security and economic viability and stability of South Florida. Moreever, uh, while most fentanyl still enters the US through land ports of entry, we cannot ignore the possibility that maritime routes are being used to transport per precursor per precursor chemicals or synthetic opioids manufactured abroad.
▶ 0:12:53This is particularly uh concerning given the wellocumented role that entities based in the People's Republic of China continue to play in supplying the chemical building blocks used to manufacture fentanyl in Mexico. These synthetic opioids are then traffked into American communities, often with devastating results. Tens of thousands of Americans are dying each year from fentanyl.
▶ 0:13:15Beijing is complicit and incentivizing the distribution of these chemicals worldwide, which is responsible for the crisis that now claims the lives of tens of thousands of Americans each year. It is known, it is unknown what role, if any, the Mexican government has had in this crisis as they have failed to stop the flow of these deadly chemicals into the United States.
▶ 0:13:37To its credit, the Trump administration has made maritime security a greater priority by investing in interdiction efforts, revitalizing partnerships with key regional allies, and applying needed pressure on adversarial regimes that threaten the safety of the Western Hemisphere. These steps mark a welcome shift in our posture. But as this hearing will show, we must do more.
▶ 0:13:58We need a comprehensive maritime security strategy that includes enhanced detection capabilities, more robust uh inter agency coordination and expanded use of advanced technology to monitor, interdict, and deter illicit maritime activity. Today's hearing is an opportunity to assess how federal agencies are responding to these evolving maritime threats. We will hear from those on the front lines about what is working, where the challenges remain, and what resources or authorities may be needed to close remaining gaps.
▶ 0:14:28Thank you again to our witnesses for being here today. I look forward to your insights and a productive discussion of how we can better protect our coasts, our communities, and our country from illicit activity at sea. I now recognize the ranking member, the gentleoman from New Jersey, Miss McCyver, for her opening statements. Thank you uh so much uh chairman. Thank you to our witnesses for being here today. Good morning to everyone.
▶ 0:14:55Uh today's hearing provides an opportunity to to discuss how Trump's reckless orders are undermining homeland security and making our communities less safe. Over the weekend, we saw Trump federalize the National Guard to respond to protests in Los Angeles and threaten to deploy Marines on US soil against Americans. Trump is using every possible excuse to escalate the situation and manufacture unnecessary confrontations.
▶ 0:15:22In January, Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Christy Gnome ordered the Coast Guards to triple its presence at US borders in an attempt to carry out their reckless immigration policy. This redirection of troops to the border comes at great cost to the Coast Guard's other critical missions.
▶ 0:15:39At a time when levels of marine time migration are already down due to this administration's essential ending asylum in the United States, the Coast Guard is pulling assets and personnel from around the globe to sit at the US border. Critically, the Coast Guard has redirected deployments from Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions from Congress has invested heavily on a bipartisan basis in the Coast Guard's capacity to counter aggression from China and Russia.
▶ 0:16:09Reducing our activities in the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic undermines our long-term strategic interests and ultimately makes us less safe. Worse yet, the Trump administration is diverting the Coast Guard's limited aviation fleet to assist with deportations. The Coast Guard is flying immigrants internally within the US to relocate them to staging areas for deportation. This is not the Coast Guard's mission. I repeat again, this is not the Coast Guard's mission.
▶ 0:16:40These flights place major strain on our Coast Guard aviation fleet, which already struggles to meet the services needs. Many Coast Guard aircrafts are from the 80s and 90s and suffer major maintenance and reliability issues. Instead of replacing the oldest planes and helicopters in the fleet, Secretary Gnome is looking to acquire a new $50 million Gulfream jet to replace one of two she already has available for her use.
▶ 0:17:06Coast Guard aircraft were already available for the service to use less than 70% of the time before accounting for the new demands this administration is making. These planes and helicopters are essential to the Coast Guard's mission from search and rescue to drug and migrant interdictions. Operating flights in service of other agencies missions is the last thing the Coast Guard needs. Of course, the Coast Guard is not the only agency diverting resources to deportations above all else.
▶ 0:17:37The list of agencies reportedly taking personnel away from their primary mission to focus on deportation goes on and on. from Customs and Border Protections, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the US Marshall Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, and the Internal Revenue Service.
▶ 0:18:04These agencies are all pulling resources from their missions to help deport immigrants, the vast and vast majority who are nine nonviolent contributing members of our communities. When it comes to undocumented immigrants, it does not matter if they are elderly grandparents, sick children, or Cubans, Haitians, or Venezuelans seeking refuge from violence. Trump's orders are to try to deport them all, no matter the law and no matter the cost.
▶ 0:18:32Is this really what the American people want? I have my doubts for sure. To those watching this hearing, I ask you, are you hoping the government will find and save you if you are stranded on a roof during the hurricane hurricane season? I think you do. But sorry, under Trump, the Coast Guard plane that would otherwise help might be busy flying law- abiding immigrants away from their communities.
▶ 0:18:58Are you hoping the government will investigate wealthy tax sheets and make them pay their fair share? I'm sure you hope so. But sorry, under Trump, many of the agents who are supposed to do that are busy deporting local farmers, construction workers, community leaders, and caregivers. Are you hoping federal agents will investigate and stop the worst of the worst drug traffickers, armed smugglers, human traffickers, and even child abusers? I'm sure you do.
▶ 0:19:27But sorry, under Trump, many of the agents who are supposed to do that are busy deporting your friends and your neighbors. Those are apparently the federal government's priorities with Trump and Republicans in charge. I want to thank our witnesses again for being here and I look forward to today's discussion. With that, I yield back. Thank you to ranking member McCyver. The I now recognize the chairman for the subcommittee on border security enforcement, the gentleman from Miss M Mississippi, Mr. guest for his opening statement.
▶ 0:19:57Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I want to start by responding to the opening statement of Miss MacGyver, and I want the record of this committee to be crystal clear that I and my fellow Republicans that we strongly condemn the senseless violence and lawlessness that we have watched unfold in California since last week.
▶ 0:20:18I want to com I want to commend the brave men and women of our state, federal, and local law enforcement, as well as our National Guardsmen and our United States Marines who have stepped up at a moment's notice to restore order and to protect America from chaos while we reaffirm the rule of law.
▶ 0:20:39It is a sad state of affairs when simply enforcing long-standing immigration law is used to justify violent rights and even more sad that the far-left is standing not with law enforcement but with riers and with illegal aliens.
▶ 0:20:56Today's hearing provides an opportunity to examine the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to deter, detect, and disrupt illicit maritime activities that have threatened our national security and have undermined the rule of law. I want to thank each of our witnesses for appearing today.
▶ 0:21:16Your expertise in your field is vital as we examine the challenges and as we seek to find solutions in securing America's vast maritime domain. From the Gulf of America to the shores of Alaska, the United States maritime border spans thousands of miles of coastland.
▶ 0:21:37It is comp comprised of waterways, shipping routes and ports that facilitate commerce and play a vital role in our national security While our national maritime geography is a strength, it also presents challenges. The Caribbean and Pacific regions in particular have become prime targets for cartels and criminal organizations.
▶ 0:22:01They use fast boats, fishing vessels, to evade detection while moving narcotics, weapons, and human cargo into the United States. While President Trump has strengthened security along our land border, achieving a remarkable 95% decrease in daily border encounters within the administration's first 100 days. We must continue to remain vigilant to the fact that cartels are agile.
▶ 0:22:32They're adaptive. As enforcement strengthens on land, these criminal networks are shifting their operations to the sea. To counter these threats, the Department of Homeland Security employs a whole of government approach, incorporating its federal law enforcement partners on joint maritime border security Each of the components with us today play a critical role in that effort.
▶ 0:22:58The Coast Guard is our nation's oldest continuous seagoing service and is a cornerstone of maritime border security. With a unique blend of military, law enforcement, regulatory, and humanitarian roles, the United States Coast Guard is often the first and only presence in remote maritime areas.
▶ 0:23:19It interdicts interdicts vessels far from the United States shore, often before threats reach the homeland, and sees hundreds of thousands of pounds of elicit drugs each year. CBP's air and marine operations is the nation's only federal agency dedicated to aviation and marine law enforcement.
▶ 0:23:42With a fleet of high-speed interceptors, coastal patrol vessels, fixedwing surveillance aircraft, and unmanned aerial systems, AMO conducts complex interdiction missions across the air and sea. Its mission is to safeguard the American people and AMO is on the front lines of maritime border security, providing critical intelligence and rapid response Homeland Security Investigation also plays a critical role in maritime border security,
▶ 0:24:13primarily serving as the investigative arm for transnational criminal activity. HSI investigates transnational criminal organizations involved in a broad range of crimes such as trafficking, narcotics, and human This is truly a team effort with each agency bringing in a unique skill set. Success also relies on us working with our international partners to enhance these efforts.
▶ 0:24:42I have been working with committee staff and intend to introduce legislation that would enhance the presence and operation of CBP in foreign countries working alongside other law enforcement agencies. This bill would greatly expand CBP's capability for targeting threats abroad before they reach our shore. Let me be clear. Border security does not stop at our land border.
▶ 0:25:08DHS maritime operations have resulted in an old untold number of vessels being interdicted with aliens attempting to inter illegally enter our country as well as hundreds of thousands of pounds of illicit drugs seized annually at our maritime border. Securing our maritime border is essential to protecting our national security. Confronting these threats protects the safety of our families and communities across this great nation.
▶ 0:25:38I look forward to today's s discussion and working with my colleagues to find solutions that enhance and prioritize maritime border security. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you, Chairman Guest. I now recognize the ranking member for the subcommittee on border security enforcement, the gentleoman from Illinois, Miss Ramirez, for her opening statement. Thank you, Chairman Himenez. Good morning.
▶ 0:26:00I want to first start by thanking our witnesses for being here Despite the administration having so much to answer for today in our committee, uh it's one of our first hearings with government officials outside of Secretary Gnome that was with us a couple weeks ago and I find it shameful that it took until June for my colleagues to request that administration officials up here before us. But I am certainly glad that you're finally here.
▶ 0:26:26Look, I agree that maritime security is important and we certainly should be discussing how we're redirecting resources uh to use them outside of the mission as uh Miss MacGyver so eloquently stated in her opening remarks and I would support having a full hearing to discuss that if we weren't if we were not in extraordinary times. However, we are in extraordinary times.
▶ 0:26:50Our communities, and I want to make sure we visualize this because I know my colleagues are going to try to say the opposite here, are being terrorized by the weaponization of the government and the military against US citizens. The Trump administration is using authoritarian tactics to incite fear and chaos in our communities. Why? So they can further weaponize the government to exert control and suppress the scent. Let's look at Los Angeles.
▶ 0:27:17heavily armed masked agents conducted militarystyle raids at places like Home Depot, a doughnut shop, and a clothing These are purposely inflammatory tactics meant to escalate violence and justify further violations of our constitutional rights and our civil liberties.
▶ 0:27:39And these kidnappings are targeting mothers, children, and law-abiding neighbors who have contributed to our communities for years and have complied with the court's requirements attending check-in appointments when asked to do so. Do you know why I can tell you this with confidence? Because that's what's happening in Chicago.
▶ 0:28:02ICE texted lawabiding members of our community for unscheduled check-ins and were told that within days they had to present themselves for a check-in. When they showed up, many of them mothers, their case was immediately followed by ICE agents waiting for them at the door to handcuff them, put them in freight elevators, and rush them out in order to shove them into vans while wearing
▶ 0:28:33masks. Can you imagine that was happening to one of your family members? They're using text messages to call people in to arrest the exact immigrants who are demonstrating their commitment to the law by complying with ISIS instructions. To me, that runs counter to every claim the Trump administration has made. But it is consistent with reporting that the administration's actual intent is to simply maximize arrest for this administration.
▶ 0:29:01Let me be very clear, the terror is the point. They are kidnapping people. They're tearing families apart. They're deporting United States citizens, including United States citizen children, with cancer. They're ignoring our right to due process. And in doing so, are making mistakes they call administrative errors as they arrest and deport people. Just last week, DHS had a return had to return a Guatemalan man wrongfully deported to Mexico despite fearing he would be persecuted there.
▶ 0:29:31and they finally returned Kilmar ago Garcia to the United States who now faces what could be trumped up charges. We've all heard about the others disappeared to a prison in El Salvador based on allegations of being in a gang, including Andre Ernnandez Romero, a gay makeup artist who legally arrived to the United States the way many others have for generations seeking asylum.
▶ 0:29:57The only so-called evidence this administration has given of him being in a gang is tattoos of his parents' names with crowns. But this administration's obsession with persecuting immigrants and achieving their mass deportation means they're using every resource they can instead of keeping their community safe to terrorize them.
▶ 0:30:20We're seeing the CBP and law enforcement agencies like FBI, DEA, and ATF focus on rounding up law-abiding contributing immigrants in their communities. The message sent to our communities through these actions are the Trump administration does not care if you're complying with the law because they don't respect the rule of law. They don't care if you have constitutional rights because, let's be honest, they don't respect the constitution. They only care about the arbitrary deportation quotas that have been set by who?
▶ 0:30:50Stephen Miller. Not only are these officers not doing the jobs they were hired to do, you know, like pursuing child abusers, investigating sex trafficking or weapon smuggling, they are terrorizing our communities while wearing masks. You know who else wears masks?
▶ 0:31:10people committing crimes, exe executioners, prison guards and SECAT, clansmen, people who don't want to be held accountable for what they do because they know their actions violate the foundations of our shared humanity. So yeah, we need oversight of this administration and the most urgent need is to rein in the abuses of power that make all of us less safe all over this country today. Let me be clear. They're violating immigrants constitutional rights.
▶ 0:31:40They're stripping our communities of due process. And they're seeking to separate us from our humanity. But here's what's happening. They are testing our limits now because they intend to use the same playbook next on anyone they deem undesirable. This committee's responsibility is to oversight, not to the president of the United States of America. With that, I yield back.
▶ 0:32:10Thank you, Rank Ranking member. Um, other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. I am pleased to have a distinguished panel of witnesses before us today on this critical topic. I ask that our witnesses please rise and raise their right hands. Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before the committee on homeland security of the United States of House of Representatives will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help you God.
▶ 0:32:40Let the record reflect that the witnesses have answered in the affirmative. Thank you and please be I would now like to formally introduce our witnesses. Uh Jonathan Miller is the executive assistant commissioner for Air and Maritime Operations, US Customs and Border Protection. Mr. Miller brings over 28 years of federal law enforcement and leadership experience.
▶ 0:33:01He began his career with the US Border Patrol in San Diego, serving on the Special Response Team and Border Patrol tactical unit before transferring to the Miami sector for maritime patrols. That's pretty nice sector. Uh in 2007 he joined air and marine operations in Miami advancing through various roles including vessel commander, marine instructor, supervisor, marine interdiction agent and several senior executive positions before assuming his current role.
▶ 0:33:29Rear Admiral Adam uh Shami assumed the role of Coastg Guard Assistant Commandant for response policy in May 2024 overseeing strategic doctrine and policy for seven of the Coast Guard's 11 operational missions including law enforcement and maritime security. A 1996 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy ali has commanded three Coast Guard cutters and served on three others conducting operations from the Bearing Sea to the Arabian Gulf.
▶ 0:33:58His prior Ashure assignments include commander of sector key west, chief of congressional affairs and coastg guard leaison to the house of representatives. James C. Harris is the assistant director uh countering uh transnational organized crime at homeland security investigations.
▶ 0:34:15In this position, he develops and executes strategies aimed at disrupting and dismantling criminal networks and works alongside policymakers to improve laws and regulations that stren strengthen HSI's efforts in combating transnational organized crime. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Harris served as the director of the US Department of Homeland Security's Center for Countering Human Trafficking.
▶ 0:34:39Heather Mloud is a director in the government accountability office uh homeland security and justice team. She oversees Coast Guard and maritime security issues including Coast Guard workforce and strategic planning efforts and maritime port and supply chain cargo security. Heather joined uh GAO in 2002 and has led projects examining aviation safety, airline competition, transit programs and highway bridge management.
▶ 0:35:07I would thank uh I thank each of our distinguished uh witnesses for being here today and I recognize Mr. Miller for five minutes to summarize his opening statement. Chairman Gimenez, Chairman Guest, Ranking Member Macyver, Ranking Member Ramirez, and distinguished members of the subcommittees. It is an honor to appear before you today on behalf of the men and women of Air Marine Operations or AMO to discuss our critical role in US Customs and Border Protection's comprehensive approach to maritime border security.
▶ 0:35:38The maritime domain presents unique national security challenges. Unlike air and land environments, coastal waters are vast and less restricted. Countless vessels enter or operate in US territorial waters every day, making detection of illegal activity and apprehending associated smugglers challenging. Many smuggling crafts hide in plain sight amongst legitimate traffic, while others transit remote areas far offshore, trying to elude detection altogether.
▶ 0:36:04Smugglers also use a variety of vessels tailored to the area and amount of contraband they are smuggling to best evade detection. Vessels are also much faster than they were 20 years ago today, often leaving law enforcement little time to interdict them before reaching our shores.
▶ 0:36:18Immediately following the president's declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, AMO in concert with other CBP and DHS partners took action, realigning vessels and aircraft patrols in anticipation of increased maritime activity due to the decrease in illegal crossings at the land borders. In Southern California, we've seen a 30% increase in vessel seizures and over 100% increase in maritime apprehensions since January compared to the same time frame last year.
▶ 0:36:47Additionally, maritime drug smuggling activity is a perpetual and dangerous threat to US border security. Of the 234,000 pounds of drugs AMO seized in 2024, approximately 76% occurred in the maritime environment. In addition to high maritime drug interdiction rates, smuggler aggression and violence has also been on the rise.
▶ 0:37:07Non-compliant boardings and instances where we forcibly disabled the engines of smuggling vessels to get them to stop has exponentially risen in the past few In November 2022, three of my marine agents were shot and one of them, Michael Mada, was killed during a vessel stop with smugglers off the coast of Puerto Rico. Ammo deploys a fleet of some of the most powerful law enforcement marine interceptors in the world.
▶ 0:37:33Evolving to meet today's threats, we've recently repowered these vessels and made other modifications to this platform for a perfect mix of speed, agility, and agent safety. and I appreciate the committee's support in these recapapitalization AMO also maintains a fleet of aircraft functionally designed and outfitted for maritime detection and surveillance.
▶ 0:37:53Our P3s, -8s, and MQ9 UAS aircraft are capable of long range high endurance and no conus patrols while the Super King Air 350 further expands aerial surveillance in the lurals of the United States and the Caribbean.
▶ 0:38:09AMO is heavily invested in a variety of tethered aerostats, towers, and tactical systems, providing radar and sensor capabilities, significantly increasing our domain awareness along our latoral borders, and the maritime approaches around the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Artificial intelligence and machine learning play a critical part in filtering nefarious from legitimate traffic activity. And we've had success in using this technology to build algorithms ident identifying patterns to filter the sheer volume of traffic.
▶ 0:38:39Once again, I'd like to thank the members of this committee for supporting these critical efforts and further acquisitions that will ultimately enable 247 domain awareness of prioritized maritime lural approaches. The scale and complexity of countering drug trafficking and human smuggling in the maritime environment requires partnerships and collaboration.
▶ 0:38:59In addition, the US Coast Guard AMO routinely works with federal, state, local, and foreign partners and has been one of the largest contributors of flight hours to joint inter agency task force south, supporting counter narcotics operations in the vast 42 million square mile source and transit zones. With few exceptions, AMO's maritime law enforcement authority is limited to customs waters or 12 nautical miles from the coastline of the United States. CBP continues to work with Congress on legislative changes to extend the customs waters from 12 to 24 nautical miles.
▶ 0:39:30This extension of law enforcement authorities would enable AMO to expand patrols, increasing our ability to save lives at sea, conduct counter narcotics operations, support our partners, and carry out the border security mission. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, and I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you, Mr. Miller. I now recognize Rear Admiral Shemi for um five minutes to summarize u his opening statements. Good morning, Chairman Jimenez, Chairman Guest, Ranking Member MacGyver, Ranking Member Ramirez, and members of the committee.
▶ 0:40:00I request that my written testimony be submitted for the record. Without objection. Thank you, sir. Thank you for your enduring support for the Coast Guard and the men and women who volunteer to serve. The Coast Guard is busier than ever and laser focused on border security. Following the president's declaration of a national emergency at the southern border, the Coast Guard surged aircraft, cutters, boats, and people.
▶ 0:40:24We tripled our force layown and we made it clear that our highest mission priority was to achieve full operational control of the maritime border. The Coast Guard works closely with the DoD joint force, DHS components, and the US inter agency. Together, we synchronize operations with a singular goal to protect our territorial integrity and our nation's sovereign interests. I'd like to highlight three ways we control, secure, and defend our US borders and maritime approaches.
▶ 0:40:54First, we deter and interdict illegal aliens attempting to reach the United States by sea. The aliens typically depart countries like Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Mexico, but they vary in nationality from across the globe. They use everything from handmade wooden boats to sail freighters to speedboats to sport fishers to jet skis. Frequently, these smuggling ventures are organized by transnational criminal organizations or cartels.
▶ 0:41:22In the past 5 months, we've interdicted almost 1,000 illegal aliens. The second way we defend our US borders is by going toe-to-toe with the cartels who smuggle drugs into our country. This fiscal year, our crews have removed 160 metric tons of cocaine and detained over 300 smugglers. This past February, we surpassed the amount of drugs we removed in all of fiscal year 24.
▶ 0:41:49The cartels are working hard, but our Coast Guard crews are working harder. The interdiction of cocaine matters because the same cartels who smuggle cocaine produce and smuggle fentanyl. Once we detain the smugglers, we work with our partners and the intelligence community to determine who these criminals are and how and where these cartels operate. Cocaine is the cash crop for cartels.
▶ 0:42:17Their huge profits from cocaine fund other nefarious activities like human trafficking, weapon smuggling, and production of synthetic drugs. Fentanyl remains the leading cause of drugrelated deaths in our country, but cocaine still kills upwards of 25,000 Americans every year. The third way the Coast Guard defends our border is at our ports and waterways in both physical space and cyerspace.
▶ 0:42:43The United States is home to 361 commercial ports that facilitate $4.6 trillion in commerce. Correction, $4.6 trillion dollars in commerce each year. Our ports create incredible economic opportunity, but they also present a significant risk if not properly hardened. We work across the intelligence community and with partners like Customs and Border Protection to identify and mitigate those threats.
▶ 0:43:12Our Coast Guard men and women are doing a great job, but our efforts are not sustainable. We are at the lowest state of readiness since World War II. To overcome this crisis, Secretary Gnome has directed us to transform the Coast Guard into a more agile, capable, and responsive force. Without change, the Coast Guard will fail, and we will not The Secretary's plan to revolutionize the Coast Guard is called Force Design 28.
▶ 0:43:42Under this plan and with the support of Congress and the administration, we will transform from the top down. We will establish a service secretary like the other military services. We will streamline command and control to make us more agile, a more agile fighting force that empowers our operators to make decisions.
▶ 0:44:02We will grow our service by at least 15,000 people to restore readiness and operate new ships, aircraft, and technology to improve operations and deliver mission results. And finally, we will streamline our contracting and acquisitions to deliver the capabilities our crews need at The Coast Guard is extremely grateful to this Congress for their support to include the $21.2 billion in reconciliation passed by the House.
▶ 0:44:32The Coast Guard's future depends on reconciliation in an increase in our topline budget. Since 1790, the Coast Guard has ensured our national sovereignty and protected our shores. With your support, we will do it for another 235 years. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions. Thank you, Rear Admiral Shami. And I recognize Mr. Harris for five minutes to summarize his opening statements.
▶ 0:44:57Good morning, Chairman Jimenez, Chairman Guest, Ranking Member Macyver, and Ranking Member Ramirez, and esteemed members. I appreciate the opportunity to present this vital topic here today. It is an honor to represent the exceptional and unwavering efforts of the men and women of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations who are steadfast in their commitment to protecting our nation's security, public health, and economy from criminal organizations that seek to exploit
▶ 0:45:28and compromise our great nation, border security, economy, and critical infrastructure. As a criminal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, HSI is firmly dedicated to safeguarding the United States by detecting and dismantling transnational criminal organizations that threaten our citizens, businesses, and financial institutions.
▶ 0:45:50HSI has a formidable workforce of approximately 8,800 personnel across 243 domestic locations and over 93 international sites. We leverage the expertise of more than 4,500 task force officers from diverse federal, state, tribal, territorial, local, and international agencies. Our special agents are on the front lines identifying, intercepting, and prosecuting those who exploit our maritime borders and supply chains.
▶ 0:46:20We work in tandem with US Customs and Border Protection and the US Coast Guard to execute this vital mission. Every successful interdiction enables us to leverage our investigative prowess to trace supply sources, target distribution hubs, and disrupt financial networks with the goal of dismantling the entire transnational criminal It's important to emphasize that narcotics and dangerous drugs are not the only contraband we confront in a maritime environment.
▶ 0:46:49Given that most cargo entering the United States arrive by sea, HSI routinely faces challenges from counterfeit and mismanifested cargo which is which can devastate public safety and the economy if allowed to enter our commerce. Furthermore, maritime human smuggling poses a serious threat to national security and human life with smugglers exploiting vulnerabilities along our maritime borders.
▶ 0:47:13They frequently utilize overcrowded, unseaorthy vessels that endanger the lives of migrants with many being women and children. Through our border enforcement security task forces and transnational criminal investigative units, HSI is relentlessly targeting criminal networks in the maritime domain.
▶ 0:47:33Globally, HSI leads 115 border enforcement security task forces across the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Marana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands, engaging over 1500 task force officers and personnel from more than 200 federal, state, local, tribal, and international law enforcement agencies.
▶ 0:47:53Additionally, we have over 600 foreign law enforcement officers and prosecutors assigned to 18 transnational criminal investigative units and three international task force units, magnifying our capacity to disrupt criminal activity and defend our homeland. Executive Order 14159 signed by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025 directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to establish Homeland Security task forces in every state and US territory.
▶ 0:48:23These task forces spearheaded by HSI and the Federal Bureau investigations are empowered to investigate, prosecute, and dismantle criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations operating within the United States with particular focus on eight newly designated foreign terrorist The HSTFs re represent a united government effort to target the most dangerous and prolific transnational criminal Thank you
▶ 0:48:53again for the opportunity to testify today and for your ongoing support of HSI and our relentless pursuit to safeguard America and its citizens by disrupting and dismantling transnational criminal organizations globally. Stand by for any questions you may have. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Harris. And I recognize Miss McCloud for five minutes to summarize her opening statements. Chairman Jimenez, Ranking Member Macyver, Ranking Member Ramirez, and members of the subcommittee.
▶ 0:49:19Thank you for the opportunity to be here to discuss GAO's work on federal efforts to counter illicit maritime activities. My testimony today focuses on actions that DHS components could take to help ensure US maritime border security. The illegal movement of people, drugs, and weapons into the United States and the criminal organizations that traffic them pose significant threats to national security.
▶ 0:49:47Securing the nation's borders is a key part of the Department of Homeland Security's mission within DHS. Coast Guard, CBP, and HSI law enforcement efforts are vital to confronting and mitigating illicit maritime activity.
▶ 0:50:04In addition to their typical missions, these agencies in coordination with other federal partners also respond to national priorities or For example, in recent years, Coast Guard and other federal agencies were called on to respond to an unprecedented migrant surge at the southern border. This response impacted other missions.
▶ 0:50:29For example, during the surge, Coast Guard almost entirely redirected assets from its drug to migrant interdiction Whether shifting priorities or surging to respond to a crisis or emergency, there is an impact on mission balance, assets and personnel tied to these federal efforts. Resources surged to respond to a crisis are not available for other missions and people and assets can become stretched.
▶ 0:51:00Additionally, GAO has identified coordination and operational challenges that may hinder these efforts. For example, we examine DHS task forces that coordinate to detect and monitor the traffic trafficking of illicit drugs being smuggled on non-commercial maritime vessels, mainly on southern borders. Our work in 2019 and 2024 has shown that task forces have not consistently assessed their efforts.
▶ 0:51:30This is essential for making decisions about priorities and resource allocations. We have seven recommendations pertaining to task forces that remain unressed. Illicit maritime activities also occur in the Arctic region, including potential conflict with Russia or China or illegal fishing.
▶ 0:51:51The Coast Guard plays a key role in Arctic policy implementation and enforcement, but we found in August 2024 that the service does not have a way to measure progress on its Arctic efforts. Our prior work has also found that Coast Guard faces significant operational challenges balancing trade-offs among its assets and personnel across missions.
▶ 0:52:16As Coast Guard prioritize deploying assets for its migrant interdiction in recent years, it conducted fewer drug interdiction operations. Other missions were similarly impacted. The conditions of the assets the Coast Guard manages for all of its missions have been in a state of decline for decades. Our work has shown that the cost of maintaining these assets is increasing at the same time that their availability is decreasing.
▶ 0:52:47Declining availability of these assets and delays in acquisition of their replacements can affect Coast Guard's ability to conduct missions. Our recommendations address how Coast Guard can better manage asset challenges and acquisitions acquisition programs for new vessels and aircraft. DHS law enforcement components also face personnel challenges.
▶ 0:53:12The Coast Guard exceeded its recruiting goal in 2024 for the first time in five years by taking actions such as increasing recruiting offices, marketing, and outreach efforts. Despite these efforts, the Coast Guard remained about 2600 enlisted members short of its workforce target. CBP has also fallen short of staffing targets for its law enforcement position in recent years.
▶ 0:53:37In September 2024, we reported that CBP has taken action to strengthen its recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts. For example, each of CBP's operational components have offered recruitment incentives for law enforcement positions. In conclusion, while DHS and its components pay a vital role in confronting and mitigating illicit maritime activities, it faces challenges in carrying out these missions effectively.
▶ 0:54:06Actions are needed to ensure effective oversight and management of assets and personnel. Addressing our open recommendations in these areas will help ensure that the department and its components are operating effectively and efficiently using available resources to carry out these missions. This completes my prepared statement and I'd be pleased to respond to any questions you may have at this time. Thank you, Miss Mloud. Uh members will be recognized by order of seniority for their five minutes of questioning.
▶ 0:54:35I now recognize myself for five minutes of questioning and going to go right to you, Miss McCloud. Um, what I got from you is that the Coast Guard needs more ships, more people uh, in order to carry out their missions because they're stretched thin right Pretty much. Yes. The Coast Guard has a history of making do. There are acquisition programs that are in place, but as I mentioned, those are are currently delayed.
▶ 0:54:59There are workforce shortages across the Coast Guard, and although they met their recruiting goals, they there there remains a workforce shortage. Thank you. Um, Admiral Shami, the the uh reconciliation bill has how how much more for the Coast Guard that will help, I guess, in this endeavor. Try to give the Coast Guard the resources and the personnel it needs to carry out its mission. Yes, sir. We're we're grateful for the 21.2 billion in the House pass reconciliation, sir.
▶ 0:55:28And you're confident that with that and also the reconfiguring uh reimagining of the Coast Guard that the Coast Guard will be better able to carry out its mission in the future? Yes, sir. A combination of the reconciliation plus an increase in annual topline. Um that's critical for us to be able to get over some of the lingering issues like shoride infrastructure, the buildings that our crews operate out of. Fair enough. Um Mr.
▶ 0:55:54Harris, uh the cartels, the cartels that um were the cartels the same cartels, were they involved both in drug trafficking and human trafficking? Yes. the same cartels are involved in all those. So, is most of the human trafficking you're seeing, are they somehow paying the cartels in order to be trafficked or do you see people just ad hoc getting into a boat trying to make it to the United States? Uh, both both.
▶ 0:56:21You you see people going about it on their own, but you also see people utilizing uh transnational criminal organizations. Are they the same cartels that were working on the southern border? Yes, same cartels. So they're now they're now they're they're in the southern border and they're also uh at sea. Are they Mexican in origin? Are they Colombian in origin? Where do they come from? A lot of them are in Mexico. Okay. And but the but the cocaine is actually produced Colombia, Peru, you know, so and it somehow gets to the Mexican cartels and they're the ones that distribute it.
▶ 0:56:51Is that the way that the the operation works? That is correct. All right. During the uh during the Biden administration years when we had thousands and thousands and millions of of illegals crossing through the southern border, were most of those people paying the cartels to cross the the border? I don't think most of them. Uh I think people were paying cartels and people were doing it on their own through family, friends, or people in the community. And how much were the cartels making from the human trafficking during those years?
▶ 0:57:19Uh, investigations suggest that you can make a couple thousand per person. So, how much were they making? Were they I mean, my our estimation was they were making a billion dollars a month. Is that far off? I'm not sure about that. Fair enough. Okay. So, let's go now to China and the their precursor precursor drugs or chemicals uh for fentanyl.
▶ 0:57:43Um what what kind of success have we had in interdicting those precursor chemicals from reaching I guess it goes to Mexico offloaded in Mexico and then goes to the cartels who create the fentanyl and then ship it across the border and that fentanyl is killing Americans. Is that right? Uh that is correct and we've had a lot of uh a lot of success in that area. uh seeing the pre the chemical precursors coming from Asia to Mexico and then find its way to the United States.
▶ 0:58:13How do you how where's the success? I mean the success is the um we've decimated uh at least in FY25. I'll speak to that. In FY25, we decimated uh 13 clandestine labs in Mexico that was ran by um some of the cartels. Yeah, but those are the labs. I'm talking about the the ship that's coming with the chemicals from China. Do we interdict any of those at all or they they all land in in in a Mexican port and then they the the chemicals are then shipped to the uh to the cartels?
▶ 0:58:44No. Uh we interdict those as well. You do? But how much of that what percentage of that do you think you're interdicting? I'm unaware I can take that back. Okay. Well, would we surprise you that if I tell you that the Chinese actually incentivize the companies that produce the precursor chemicals for fentanyl that kills tens of thousands of Americans, they incentivize them with tax breaks in China as long as they're for export but for they're actually
▶ 0:59:15illegal inside of China. So if they do that would lead you to believe that somehow this is done on purpose that the Chinese are actually sending this stuff on purpose to kill Americans. Uh well China they're they have been a good partner in this in this uh quest to stop the chemical precursors. How can you say that when they're actually uh incentivizing the the the the companies to to create the chemicals that are only used for the creation of fentanyl?
▶ 0:59:44We've had success working with them. uh the government of China as well as Mexico in trying to stop some of this in trying to stop them. We're we're not very successful at that though, are we? We we've we've seen some success. Fair enough. My time is up. I now I now recognize the ranking member for her five minutes. Thank you uh so much, Chairman.
▶ 1:00:06Um Admiral uh Shammy, in January, Trump and Secretary Gnome ordered the Coast Guard to triple its presence at the US border. However, despite some of our requests, the Coast Guard has not provided us information on exactly where the service has redirected assets and personnel from.
▶ 1:00:26Uh, would you please commit to providing us with the full accounting of all assets and personnel that have been redirected since January 20th, including their home, port, or station, as well as a description of all deployments and missions that were canceled or Yes, Congresswoman. I'd be happy to come brief you on that. Perfect. Thank you so much.
▶ 1:00:49I want to move to um Miss Miss Uh GAO has studied the Coast Guard's capabilities to carry out various missions as well as its capacity to make resource allocation decisions effectively. Um, in your estimation, does the Coast Guard fully understand the tradeoffs it's making when it redeploys assets and personnel?
▶ 1:01:16We've found both data limitations in acknowledging those tradeoffs as well as strategic everything cannot be a priority. And the Coast Guard, as I said, has a history of of making do um without accounting for the various tradeoffs um among these 11 missions and various national priorities. It's a scattershot approach. Thank you.
▶ 1:01:45Uh what are some of the tradeoffs the Coast Guards needs to reconsider? Well, among its missions, um, we saw in our recent data analysis, it as the Coast Guard has shifted, uh, more resources to the drug interdiction mission, a steep decline in the migrant interdiction mission, just as an example. And then there's the the search and rescue missions and other missions that are also being affected at the same time. Got it. Thank you so much for that.
▶ 1:02:14Uh last year GAO reported on the Coast Guard's aviation fleet and found that the services that the services planes and helicopters were only available 66 to 68% of the time on average in recent years. Since then, the Trump administration started using Coast Guard planes obviously to fly deportation staging flights and Secretary Gnome requested to spend $50 million on a new executive Gulfream jet.
▶ 1:02:41Given the existing challenges the agent Coast Guard aircraft fleet faces, how do these additional demands impact Coast Guard readiness? The Coast Guard's aircraft are not meeting the availability target. Since our report last year, this has become even more acute with grounding of additional aircraft uh within the fleet. Thank you uh for that. Uh with that, I yield back. Thank you to the ranking member MacGyver.
▶ 1:03:09I now recognize the chairman of border security enforcement uh the gentleman from Mississippi uh Michael Guest. Uh thank you uh Mr. Chairman. Uh Admiral Swami um want to uh read a few headlines of some of the great work that the United States Coast Guard has done uh since just February of this year. United States Coast Guard offloads more than 275 million worth of illegal cocaine in San Diego.
▶ 1:03:39That was February March 6, Coast Guard offloads over 141 million in elicit drugs interdicted in the Caribbean Sea. That's from March the Coast Guard offloads over 517 and a half million in illicit drugs interdicted in Eastern Pacific Ocean.
▶ 1:04:02March the 20th, Coast Guard Cutter Calhoun offloads more than 140.9 million in illegal narcotics at Port Everglades. May 16th, Coast Guard offloads more than 211 million in illeg illicit drugs introduced interdicted in the Eastern Pacific.
▶ 1:04:23May 29th of this year and then just uh earlier this month on June the 6, Coast Guard offloads more than 138 million in illicit drugs and addicted in the Caribbean Sea. Um, if my math is correct, uh, that, uh, amount, uh, is roughly $1 and a half billion dollars in narcotic seizures just this year.
▶ 1:04:52Uh, and so to the men and women who serve under your command, I want to personally thank them for the job that they are doing. And I want to ask you briefly, Admiral, can you talk about the importance of interd interdicting these drugs at sea before these narcotics come into the United States?
▶ 1:05:13And also talk a little bit about the impact that a billion and a half dollars in seizures has on these transnational criminal Yes, sir. Thank you, Chairman Guest, and thanks for your your words complimenting our crews. uh our our common and the rest of our leadership team are very proud of them.
▶ 1:05:33To your question, sir, what we try to do is interdict the drugs in bulk quantity as far away from the shores of the United States as we can because the closer these bulk amounts get to the United States, they get broken up into smaller amounts that make them easier to smuggle in. So you could have a a large uh load of say uh two two tons that goes into the Dominican Republic, gets broken into small packages of three or four kilos that could fit in a backpack and then they get smuggled uh further north. So that's one way.
▶ 1:06:03So we want to get them as far away from the shores as we can. The value in that is that those billions of dollars that that you said, sir, that's the cash that fuels the cartels. So all of the other nefarious activities that they're doing, human smuggling, weapons smuggling, sex trafficking, you name it, that cash fuels it. The these are poly crime organizations. They don't care what they're doing as long as it makes them money. Uh and Mr. Miller, kind of want to dovetail off of that a little bit.
▶ 1:06:31You say in your written testimony on page three, you talk about the authority to operate the extension of the 12 mile the 12 nautical miles um uh in custom waters. Um you know the admiral just spoke a little bit about uh the benefit of interdicting uh these narcotics or uh those individuals who are smuggling individuals in the country.
▶ 1:06:56uh the greater uh that you can extend that outside the United States border uh the more uh opportunity you're going to have to be successful and so want to talk a little bit and ask you to please speak on that about the importance of that extension uh to the 12 nautical miles. Thank you chairman and thank you for your support in these efforts. Uh yes, the customs waters bill uh extending the customs waters from 12 to 24 nautical miles.
▶ 1:07:25It modernizes customs law with the speed of vessels these days. It increases the area that we could patrol where we make interdictions and save lives. Uh we've uh drafted this legislation in collaboration with the Coast Guard. Uh it gives us interdiction parity uh at sea so we may uh better assist each other.
▶ 1:07:45And if Congress were to grant you that authority, uh would that make uh our um community safer by the fact that you would be able to have an expanded area in which you have law enforcement authority? Thank you, Chairman. Yes, it it would it would increase our interdictions like uh like the admiral said uh identifying and interdicting these narcotics loads before they get closer to shore and break up into smaller loads.
▶ 1:08:12Also with human trafficking as well, the uh the farther out we can identify these before they get close to highly congested areas is easy easier to interdict. Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. I believe I'm out of time, so I yield back. Thank you, Chairman Guest. Uh the U I now recognize the ranking member of the border security and and enforcement uh the gentleoman from uh Illinois, Miss Ramirez. Thank you, Chairman. Mr.
▶ 1:08:40Harris, you represent ISIS Homeland Security Investigations as the assistant director for countering transnational organized crime. Correct. That is correct. Thank you. Mr. Harris, do you assess that Tendagua is engaged in transnational organized crime? Yes or no? Yes, Mr. Harris.
▶ 1:08:59Is HSI responsible for investigating Tinder, which includes collecting and providing intelligence about who is and is not a gang member for ICE enforment enforcement and removal operations? Yes, we do investigate gender. Okay. And yes or no? Are the tattoos part of that assessment? It can be. Okay. So, I want to ask you a few questions.
▶ 1:09:23These are some real life If someone has a tattoo with hands praying, are they a gang member? Yes or no? I have to know more about that. Okay. Just a tattoo. So, let me ask you then another question. What about someone with an autism awareness tattoo? Are they a gang I would have to know more about the situation tattoo. I would I would also agree with that.
▶ 1:09:52So, let me ask you a question. What about a crown tattoo? Yes or no? A crown with the soccer ball? Uh, same thing. I would I have to know more about the situation. Mr. Harris, I'm going to ask you again for the record here. What about a tattoo across their chest? Perhaps I have to know more about the situation. Our Secretary of Defense Pete Hank says Mr. Mr.
▶ 1:10:21Harris, are you aware of any instances in which relying on tattoos has resulted in wrongful ICE arrest or deportations? Are you aware? I oversee transational organized crime. Uh, as far as deportations or removals. So, you're not aware? Well, let Thank you, Mr. Harris.
▶ 1:10:38So, according to several resources, including an occasion, the administration um has demonstrated that they have not um done enough um research and investigation, um in addition to Andre Ernnandez Romero's wrong uh gang tattoos, they said, of his parents' name with crowns, Ni Alvarado Borges had a colorful tattoo of an autism awareness ribbon for his 15-year-old brother.
▶ 1:11:02Jersey Reyes Barios had a tattoo of a soccer ball with a crown, a tribute to the logo of his favorite soccer team, Rio Madre from Spain. And like them, there were so many more. I just showed you a number of them. DHS has wrongfully detained and deported immigrants and asylum seekers, all based on arbitrary point system that DHS has created. They call it the alien enemy validation guide. Having a tattoo accounted for four points of the eight needed deemed deportable.
▶ 1:11:31Their point system reflects a long legacy of using arbitrary criteria of predefined characteristics to profile, criminalize, marginalize, and punish. The HS tattoo system reflects the same racist, arbitrary, ignorant activities of this administration's forebears. We make court decisions about the freedom of black people based on hair. In Hudgens versus Wrights, hair was determined to reveal black identity more than skin color.
▶ 1:11:57We targeted children in indigenous communities who were native cultural attire and sent them to boarding schools. We said anyone with long hair in the 60s was a radical and a communist. We identified gang members using baggy clothes, specific color combinations, and certain hat positioning in the '9s. You see, over and over again, the government has proven that it can't be trusted with expeditious systems of justice based on arbitrary criteria defined by bigoted assumptions about people.
▶ 1:12:27Each of these arbitrary systems end up reflecting the worst of our biases. That's the point this administration may revel in, but I for one am not comfortable with sloppy radicalized biases condemning people to a life in SECOT. You see, we can have the constitutional tool to do better. It's called due process. It's actually the only way to ensure that we minimize administrative errors and that arbitrary characteristics and bigoted assumptions do not ruin people's lives.
▶ 1:12:58And it's why it's so important that when we're having these conversations in this committee that we understand that what we use to determine who we deport, who we don't, why we violate due process, when we violate due process, that it has real life consequences and that our constituents, our children are watching. The idea that they deported parents at a kindergarten graduation this past week is unconscionable. I want to make sure that I remind people of that.
▶ 1:13:28And with that, chairman, I yield back. Thank you to the ranking member. I now recognize gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Crane, for 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Want to thank the uh panelists for coming today. Um I know you guys came here to testify about maritime activities in US waters. I also want to apologize to you guys um for the rants you're hearing from my colleagues about anything but what you guys came here to testify.
▶ 1:13:54And I also want to point out the fact that uh the hypocrisy and the insanity coming from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who created this problem when it comes to the border invasion and now they're kicking and screaming that the Trump administration is actually trying to clean it up. So now back to what we're here to talk about. Rear Admiral Chami.
▶ 1:14:17Last year, the US Coast Guard intercepted a narco submarine in the Caribbean Sea, seizing over,200 lb of cocaine valued at more than 54 million. This semi submersible vessel designed to evade detection is a stark reminder of the emerging sophisticated methods employed by drug cartels to infiltrate our border. My question to you, sir, is how many of these narco submarines has the Coast Guard encountered in the last 5 years?
▶ 1:14:47Good morning, Congressman. I'll have to get back to you on the exact number, but as you said, it is common. Uh the the cartels, the transnational criminal organizations, um they get um more um sophisticated in the ways that they will try to smuggle drugs. So, they use a variety of vessels and one of those, as you said, is to use a submarine. Are these are they buying these submarines from other foreign states? Are they making them on their own? Do you have any intelligence on that?
▶ 1:15:14They typically build them themselves on land and then push them into the water. Okay. Have you se Admiral, have you seen the cartels utilizing uh drones, either subsurface or aerial drones out at sea? I have not seen them myself, but we are aware that the transnational criminal organizations do operate drones and it also presents a threat uh to our crews at the land border.
▶ 1:15:41Admiral, what new technologies, unmanned underwater vehicles, sonar nets, or satellite tracking are being deployed to detect these types of narco submarines before they make it to our shores. So, we're using a couple different types of technologies right now. One of them is an unmanned aircraft that we fly off our national security cutter. We've been using uh the Scan Eagle for for some time. We're still operating that. Um, and then we're starting to to field um a new vertical lift system called the VBAT.
▶ 1:16:11And what that enables us to do is get that up in the air for anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, longer than we could typically fly a manned aircraft. And these aircraft have sensors that provide us an increased ability to be able to detect what's on the water. Thank you, Mr. Miller. In your opening testimony, you talked about the increase in maritime interdictions.
▶ 1:16:33Do you believe what you're seeing with the increase in maritime interdiction is due to the adaptation of smuggling routes by the cartels to circumvent the work that this administration has done to secure our southern border. Thank you, Congressman. Uh yes. Yes, I do.
▶ 1:16:49We we've we've certainly seen that in the uh Southern California uh AO where uh we've seen the biggest surge in maritime migrant smuggling uh activity and uh we suspect that's primarily due to uh the difficulty to be smuggled across the land border. Okay, thank you. My next question is for the gentleman in uniform today. Have your organizations removed all DEI from training? I'll start with you, Admiral. Yes, sir.
▶ 1:17:18Sir, we are in full compliance with the president's executive orders. Mr. Miller? Yes. To my knowledge. Congressman, is anyone in your organization that you're aware of um in violation of President Trump's executive order on eliminating Not that I'm aware of. Congressman, thank you. Miss McCloud, uh I want to go to you real quick.
▶ 1:17:43Your recent GAO report released on May 14th highlight the Coast Guard's loss of more enlisted servid service members than it recruited from fiscal years 2019 to 2023, leading to a shortfall of approximately 2600 enlisted personnel in fiscal year 2024. In your reporting, ma'am, and investigation, what was the major cause of the loss of enlisted sailors within the Coast Guard? We found a number of reasons.
▶ 1:18:12Um, some of them having to do with uh workforce challenges that the Coast Guard faces such as the frequent moves, uh, living in remote or in vacation areas that can be very high cost, access to health care, um, you know, challenges with the missions, a range of a range of reasons. Thank you. I yield back. Gentleman yields back. And I recognize the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr.
▶ 1:18:42Carter. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our uh witnesses today. Um, I want to just build on a little bit what my my dear friend, Mr. Crane mentioned. Um, just real rapid response real quickly. Do any of you feel that diversity has hurt your operations? Starting on the far answer. Thank you, Congressman. Just a yes or no. Has diversity hurt your operations? No, Congressman.
▶ 1:19:11Thank you, Admiral. Uh, we're very proud of our diverse workforce, sir. Thank you. I second that. Very proud of our workforce, Miss McClo. We also are very proud of our diverse workforce at GAO. Thank you.
▶ 1:19:30So I I I just find it difficult when when my colleagues on the other side of the aisle somehow demonize the word diversity as if it's a bad word, as if there's something wrong with having diversity, equity, or inclusion in creating a broad swat of opportunities for individuals of varied backgrounds. So I just wanted to to put that in the record that we have to stop demonizing diversity as if it's some kind of a bad word.
▶ 1:19:58As representative from New Orleans region, an area uniquely vulnerable to natural disasters and maritime disruptions, I want to stress how essential the Coast Guard is to our region's safety and economic strength. And Rammer, I want to personally thank you and uh the incredible work that the Coast Guard does in in Louisiana specifically. After Ida, you guys were instrumental.
▶ 1:20:21I can't say thank you enough for the incredible work of the men and women who were Johnny on the spot who responded to uh the issues uh in in the New Orleans region in the Louisiana region. Um so let me take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for the incredible work that you do. We may not always agree on every single aspect of our discussions, but please know that the work that you do is appreciated.
▶ 1:20:46Uh the Mississippi River moves more than 500 million tons of cargo annually, supporting thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity. The Coast Guard ensures that this trade can flow safely and securely from maintaining aids to navigation to responding to emergencies and inspecting inspecting vessels. The work maintains this engine of American commerce. A delay in reopening the river after storm doesn't just affect Louisiana.
▶ 1:21:15It raises the prices and disrupts supply chains uh In addition to relying on the Coast Guard for hurricane response and maintaining maritime commerce, the Coast Guard helps counter illegal, underreported, and underregulated fishing.
▶ 1:21:32Illegal international fishing undercuts US fishermen, flooding the market with cheaper, untraceable, often unhealthy, sometimes through human trafficking and slave labor, undercutting our opportunities to provide resources to to the world as our fisheries are the uh the the flow for the rest of the world.
▶ 1:21:55That's why we must be cautious about policies that shift or pull Coast Guard away from these core missions, diverting personnel to other missions. This becomes a real issue. Real Admiral uh Adam Shamy, uh could you share with me how often do you use the N OAA forecasters to predict and to address storms that are coming or inclement weather
▶ 1:22:25on people that you may be out to Uh thank you, Congressman, and thanks for the kind words about our crews. We take great pride in responding to to the hurricanes and and being some of the first on scene. Um so we we partner with with across the inter agency and across the government to get our weather information. We don't get it from just one si one singular source.
▶ 1:22:46Um we monitor we just started last week and we'll continue into the fall till the end of hurricane season uh to track storms when they first uh start forming uh close to Africa and in the South Caribbean um and make sure we're ready when they make landfall. If we don't have an NLA, I understand that there multiple outlets that are used. How does that impact you? Um, sir, we certainly find value in working with with Noah.
▶ 1:23:15Um, and I would just say that we'll continue to do the best we can. Got it. We should always endeavor to give you more resources, not not fewer. M. Mloud. According to GAO's research, what impacts can we expect the diversion of Coast Guard uh resources have on its efforts to affect hurricane response, countering illegal, underreported, and unregulated fishing?
▶ 1:23:39We are now in the middle of hurricane season, a time that arguably we should be giving you all the resources to protect life, property, and assets of the federal government and most importantly of those most vulnerable people. I I know that I'm over. Can you quickly just share with us an answer to that? Um the Coast Guard uses its assets and people for multiple missions. So any focus that they're shifting to would take away from other priorities.
▶ 1:24:08Any mission gentleman's time has expired. Takes away from the priorities of the Coast Guard. Gentleman's time has expired. Thank you very much. I now recognize a gentleoman from South Carolina, Miss Biggs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. I would just like to start off um personally thanking each of you for your role and your dedication um to your jobs and your duty. And my first question is for Mr. Harris.
▶ 1:24:36Um what impact do sanctuary jurisdictions have on maritime and port security? And do you feel that cracking down and enforcing the law on sanctuary jurisdictions would help secure our land as well as our maritime borders? Well, HSI investigative entity um we uh we enforce any violations of US customs laws and US immigration law.
▶ 1:25:05We uh you know the border um the sanctuary cities uh we haven't seen you know from a HSI well from a criminal investigator point of view we haven't really seen any issues in what we're doing on our job. Uh we have seen that um on other parts of ICE uh enforcement removal operations they're having some issues uh with enforcing some of their laws in different jurisdictions. Okay.
▶ 1:25:32Thank So given that and this question is also for you given that an estimated 80% of fentanil seized at the US ports of entry between fiscal years 2019 and 2024 was trafficked by US citizens and considering President Trump's recent designation of certain cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
▶ 1:25:57What concrete actions are being implemented against those found to be aiding, abetting or directly working for these terrorist organizations. Uh it's the same thing that we what we've always done as far as investigating uh people or threats. You know, like I said, we we investigate uh violations of US customs law, US immigration law, and we go after those people. you know, we whether we interdict um shipments along with our partners.
▶ 1:26:26Uh we trace funds, that's you know, um we trace um elicit proceeds that uh these criminal organizations or these people acquire from contraband. We do that and we all, you know, and we arrest them and prosecute them. So, we do exactly what we've always done. Thank you so much, Mr. Harris.
▶ 1:26:46As a proud member of border security and enforcement and transportation and maritime security subcommittees, I've seen firsthand the absolute necessity of fully equipping our federal agencies with every tool that they need to secure our nation.
▶ 1:27:03That's why I'm introducing two vital pieces of legislation that directly confront the rampid involvement of US citizens in cartel drug trafficking and the severe national security threats posed by radical sanctuary cities. My first bill, the Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act, it's simple. No federal taxpayer dollars will flow to jurisdictions that refuse to uphold American law.
▶ 1:27:32This empowers the Trump administration to restore law and order in places that have actively undermined our immigration system for The recent events in LA are a perfect example of why we can't wait any longer. We've seen in real time the chaos that results when cities refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
▶ 1:27:56We must also directly target the individuals who actively conspire with these cartel cartels and terrorist groups. That's why I'm also introducing the no passport for terrorists and traffickers act.
▶ 1:28:10It's critical legislation which will automatically revoke the passports of individuals found to be providing material support to these designated foreign terrorist By denying these individuals the ability to travel internationally, we strike a direct blow at their operational capacity and send an unmistakable message.
▶ 1:28:35If you choose to conspire with those who poison our nation and threaten our security, you will lose the travel privileges of American citizenship. This isn't just about policy debates. It's about the safety and security of everyday Americans like in the third district of South Carolina that I represent. This is why we can't wait any longer.
▶ 1:28:59And I urge every one of my colleagues, anyone who believes in American sovereignty and the rule of law to sponsor these vital bills. Let's stand united and send a clear message. We will put America first and we will secure our nation. And with that, I yield back. Thank you to the gentleoman from South Carolina. And I now recognize the gentle lady from uh from Texas, Miss Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:29:27Uh over the past five months, we have seen high school graduates, doctors, children, and US citizens detained and deported. These mass deportation efforts in the name of making America safe is only instilling fear and causing confusion and chaos for our local law enforcement, ultimately putting our communities at risk for greater harm.
▶ 1:29:47While the Trump administration is usually is using valuable resources for your taxpayer dollars to make unlawful and unnecessary arrests, we have seen no serious effort to actually address our nation's border crisising or crisis or the rising threats from our adversaries.
▶ 1:30:04If the Trump administration was serious about cracking down on the cartels and protecting our border, they wouldn't be cutting 495 million in funding and firing nearly 30% of the employees at SISA and our cyber security workforce.
▶ 1:30:20they wouldn't be using resources from our US Coast Guard to assist with their deportation efforts as our Coast Guard faces a lack of funding overused aircrafts where acting comedant Admiral Kevin Lundley openly stated even though we can operate aircraft to the level we have. We should not be we should be investing in new aircraft for the Coast Guard. They wouldn't be wasting time renaming the Gulf of Mexico, and they wouldn't be deploying the US military on US citizens.
▶ 1:30:50If they were serious about the real border crisis, they would be going after gun dealers in states like Texas and Arizona that account for almost 50% of international firearms trafficking involving the cartels. There seems to be a lot of discussion, very concerned about the cartels, lots of messaging about that, but there's actually no real effort being done to actually reign them in.
▶ 1:31:13They wouldn't be calling to cut 1.2 billion to ATF that would terminate agents who have to work undercover in the gun trafficking rings connected to the cartel. They would be strengthening our relationships with our allies and not threatening trade wars and would be providing the resources needed for agencies to execute their mission. President Trump said he was going after migrant criminals, illegal monsters, killers, and gang members.
▶ 1:31:38But yet we are wasting resources terrorizing communities by showing up masked at elementary school graduation ceremonies, work and court hearings, uh where we where people are presenting themselves to the immigration system to follow the rules, to go get their hearing, to have the right process. They're going to the courts of law. They're supposed to be safe places. And instead, they are turning these sacred spaces into spaces of terror.
▶ 1:32:05and it is absolutely Mr. Harris, um we've seen a drastic increase of ICE arrests at court hearings. I'm a lawyer. I value the sanctity of the courtroom when people go to attend an immigration hearing um and they're presenting themselves to go through the process legally. I have continued to voice my significant concerns over how ICE agents present themselves in the public, but this administration is content with ignoring the concerns of Congress and the American people.
▶ 1:32:35I recently asked Secretary Gnome on this issue when she came in front of this very committee. And since that time, we've continued to see ICE agents dressed in plain clothes, wearing masks regularly, and not properly identified. When you're sitting on a street and some mass man with jumps out of a car and isn't properly identified as law enforcement and comes running to you, that is not okay to me. And my question to you, sir, is it okay with you? And what are you going to do about it? Well, thank you for the question.
▶ 1:33:05And uh we enforce, you know, uh any violation of US immigration and customs laws. Uh, as far as the employees doing that at the court hearings, I'm not of, you know, I know that it happens or it has happened. I'm not aware of the specific details of any of those matters. I would have to know more about that. Well, it's all over the news every time you in Texas, just even in Dallas a couple weeks ago, there were like 15 people arrested at the immigration court.
▶ 1:33:32People who were going through the process legally, had the had filed the application, had an immigration hearing, were following the law, were not advert, you know, abject horrible, dangerous criminals.
▶ 1:33:45These are people who are working who are working in grocery stores, who are working in farms, who are working in gas stations, who are working in hotels, who are doing their part to contribute to our economy, and who are showing up for their immigration hearing as they are required to do and then being tackled in the hallway by unidentified agents who are not properly marked as law enforcement. And that is within your agency's jurisdiction. And I want to know, this has been widely reported, what are y'all doing to stop that?
▶ 1:34:14Again, I don't know the facts of the of the that matter or the matters at the court hearing, so I can't speak uh generally or speak specifically on what's going on. But I will say with facial coverings and markings, uh they should have markings on and facial covers I I believe are reasonable right now uh for what's going on, the assaults that's taking place, the u the doxing that's taking place that's significant rise, uh the threats to family members, to employees, to loved ones.
▶ 1:34:43uh you know they have to do that for officer safety reasons. Uh assaults are 400% have 400 increased 400% this year because of uh what's going on. Gentlemen's uh time has expired. I want to thank uh the witnesses for their valuable testimony and the members for their questions especially uh the chairman of the border security and enforcement subcommittee Mr. Guest and the ranking member Ramirez.
▶ 1:35:08Members of the subcommittees uh may have some additional questions for the witnesses and we would ask the witnesses to respond to these in writing. Pursuant to committee rule 7E, the hearing record will be open for 10 days. Without objection, the subcommittee uh stands adjourned.