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BEYOND BORDERS: ARE THE DEPARTMENT OF 

HOMELAND SECURITY’S INTERNATIONAL 

AGREEMENTS ENSURING ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE TO COMBAT THREATS TO THE U.S. 

HOMELAND? 

FIELD HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

COUNTERTERRORISM 

AND INTELLIGENCE 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

JULY 30, 2012 

Serial No. 112–111 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/ 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

PETER T. KING, New York, Chairman 

LAMAR SMITH, Texas 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan 

TIM WALBERG, Michigan 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

JOE WALSH, Illinois 

PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania 

BEN QUAYLE, Arizona 

SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

BILLY LONG, Missouri 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas 

ROBERT L. TURNER, New York 

BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi 

LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas 

HENRY CUELLAR, Texas 

YVETTE D. CLARKE, New York 

LAURA RICHARDSON, California 

DANNY K. DAVIS, Illinois 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

CEDRIC L. RICHMOND, Louisiana 

HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan 

WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts 

KATHLEEN C. HOCHUL, New York 

JANICE HAHN, California 

RON BARBER, Arizona 

MICHAEL J. RUSSELL, Staff Director/Chief Counsel 

KERRY ANN WATKINS, Senior Policy Director 

MICHAEL S. TWINCHEK, Chief Clerk 

I. LANIER AVANT, Minority Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE 

PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania, Chairman 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia, Vice Chair 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

JOE WALSH, Illinois 

BEN QUAYLE, Arizona 

SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

BILLY LONG, Missouri 

PETER T. KING, New York (Ex Officio) 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

KATHLEEN C. HOCHUL, New York 

JANICE HAHN, California 

RON BARBER, Arizona 

BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi (Ex Officio) 

KEVIN GUNDERSEN, Staff Director 

ZACHARY HARRIS, Subcommittee Clerk 

HOPE GOINS, Minority Subcommittee Director 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

STATEMENTS

The Honorable Patrick Meehan, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of Pennsylvania, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and 

Intelligence: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 1 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 3 

The Honorable Brian Higgins, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of New York, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism 

and Intelligence .................................................................................................... 5 

The Honorable Kathleen C. Hochul, a Representative in Congress From the 

State of New York ................................................................................................ 6 

WITNESSES

Ms. Deborah W. Meyers, Director, Canadian Affairs, Office of International 

Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 8 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 10 

Mr. Daniel J. Neaverth, Jr., Commissioner, Department of Emergency Services, Erie County, New York: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 15 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 17 

Mr. James R. Voutour, Sheriff, Niagara County, New York: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 19 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 21 

FOR THE RECORD

The Honorable Brian Higgins, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of New York, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism 

and Intelligence: 

Letters ................................................................................................................... 25 

(1) 

BEYOND BORDERS: ARE THE DEPARTMENT 

OF HOMELAND SECURITY’S INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS ENSURING ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE TO COMBAT 

THREATS TO THE U.S. HOMELAND? 

Monday, July 30, 2012 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE, 

Buffalo, NY. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., at the 

U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, 9th Floor, 

2 Niagara Square, Buffalo, New York, Hon. Patrick Meehan [Chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Meehan, Higgins, and Hochul. 

Mr. MEEHAN. The Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence will come to order. 

The subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony about 

whether the Department of Homeland Security international agreements are yielding actionable intelligence to help combat threats in 

the United States homeland. 

Before I begin, let me take a moment. My name is Congressman 

Patrick Meehan from the Pennsylvania suburbs of Philadelphia. It 

is just a real delight to be here today with two of my colleagues 

from our committee, Congressman Higgins and Congresswoman 

Hochul. We have had the good chance to work together on issues 

of homeland security, and I believe that I am not going out on a 

limb to say we have enjoyed each other’s professional relationship 

and a personal relationship as well as we work together to deal 

with the issues of security, both within the United States and relations with our neighbors. 

I am particularly appreciative of Judge Arcara for allowing us to 

use the courtroom today, and I see how Judge Arcara maintains 

order in the courtroom taking notice of that gavel. So I appreciate 

the ability to keep control, and we will use it if our witnesses get 

a little too out of hand. 

But I want to thank everybody, including the witnesses, for attending. I appreciate the effort taken on behalf of all those involved 

to have this important field hearing. This is an official Congressional hearing, and we will certainly abide by the rules of the Committee on Homeland Security and the House of Representatives, 

which I have every suspicion are going to be appropriately ordered. 
2 

Maintaining the security of the borders of the United States is 

a fundamental responsibility of the Federal Government. Various 

components of the Department of Homeland Security—Customs 

and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 

and the United States Coast Guard, among others—work tirelessly 

with numerous State, local, and Tribal authorities in an effort to 

secure our borders and to keep American safe. 

However, a February 2011 report prepared by the Government 

Accountability Office stated that only 32 of the 4,000-mile-long border between Canada and the United States has an acceptable level 

of security. The report also indicated the high risk of terrorism 

along the Northern Border as significant and highlighted the Border Patrol’s lack of operational controls and existing vulnerabilities 

along the United States-Canada border. 

Western New York is home to 3 border crossings with Canada— 

the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge, and the 

bridge we can see from here, the Peace Bridge. Located in downtown Buffalo, it is the busiest passenger crossing point between the 

United States and Canada. 

With more than $1 million in goods and services crossing the 

U.S.-Canada border every minute, and more than 300,000 people 

every day, the United States and Canada maintain the world’s 

largest bilateral trading relationship. The Peace Bridge and the 

Lewiston-Queenston Bridge are the third- and fourth-busiest commercial crossings in the United States, handling $30 billion in commerce each year. 

To better deal with border issues, the United States and Canada’s recent bilateral agreement called ‘‘Beyond the Border: A 

Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness,’’ has been viewed as a major milestone for cross-border security cooperation. Announced jointly by President Obama and Prime 

Minister Harper, and as well supported and trumpeted by both of 

my colleagues who are with me here today, the plan articulates a 

shared approach to security in which both countries work together 

to enhance information and intelligence sharing about potential 

threats, to better align trusted traveler programs, to reduce wait 

times for both goods and people at border crossings, and to bring 

Canada’s air passenger screening, particularly for flights coming 

from Europe, or non-visa nations, in line with U.S. procedures. 

In addition to U.S.-Canadian cross-border cooperation, information intelligence sharing between the United States and Canada is 

robust, and both intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain strong relationships with their Canadian partners. 

Here on our side of the border, Buffalo’s Joint Terrorism Task 

Force maintains the primary law enforcement relationship with the 

Ontario provincial police and the Royal Canada Mounted Police on 

counterterrorism investigations. Led by the FBI, the Buffalo JTTF 

was most notably responsible for investigating the Lackawanna Six 

case, which dismantled an al-Qaeda cell of United States citizens 

living in the Buffalo area in 2002. 

This subcommittee has received extensive briefings that indicate 

that Hezbollah maintains a presence in Toronto in their metropolitan area, and Interstate 90, which runs through Buffalo, is known 
3 

as a corridor for illicit trafficking of many types, including human 

smuggling. 

In addition to the obvious threat in human smuggling terrorist 

organization poses to United States-Canada border security, the 

9/11 Commission identified serious gaps in the U.S. visa system. 

Several of the hijackers entered the United States by obtaining student or other non-immigrant visas, and then overstay their visas 

in order to carry out the attacks. 

Currently, biometric entry systems have been deployed in the 

119 airports, 19 seaports, and 154 land ports of entry. However, no 

such biometrics exit system currently exists to capture information 

in real time to understand when an individual exits a country. 

By September 30, 2012, Canada and the United States should 

begin implementation of a pilot project exchanging entry data for 

third-country nationals, permanent residents of Canada, and U.S. 

lawful permanent residents with each country through two to four 

common land ports of entry. If implemented, the plan will have a 

fully functional land border exit system on the Northern Border 

using biographic data in 2014. 

To get a better understanding of these and other issues, we will 

hear from 3 government witnesses representing both the DHS and 

Erie County about the level and quality of information sharing on 

the Northern Border, and how a Beyond the Borders Action Plan 

is expected to enhance the intelligence sharing issues that remain 

to be resolved in order to make our border efficient and safe for 

trade and travelers alike. I look forward to hearing from today’s 

witnesses on this very important topic. 

[The statement of Chairman Meehan follows:] 

STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PATRICK MEEHAN

JULY 30, 2012 

THE IMPORTANCE OF BORDER SECURITY

Maintaining the security of the borders of the United States is a fundamental responsibility of the Federal Government. Various components of the Department of 

Homeland Security—Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Coast Guard—work tirelessly with numerous 

State, local, and Tribal authorities in an effort to secure our borders and keep Americans safe. 

However, a February 2011 report prepared by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated that only 32 of the 4,000-mile-long border between Canada and 

the United States had an ‘‘acceptable level of security.’’ 

The report also indicated that the risk of terrorism along the Northern Border is 

significant, and highlighted the Border Patrol’s lack of operational control as well 

as other existing vulnerabilities along the U.S.-Canada border. 

NORTHERN BORDER: WESTERN NEW YORK

Western New York is home to three border crossings with Canada: The LewistonQueenston Bridge, the Rainbow Bridge, and the Peace Bridge. The Peace Bridge, 

located in downtown Buffalo, is the busiest passenger crossing point between the 

United States and Canada. 

With more than $1 million in goods and services crossing the U.S.-Canada border 

every minute and more than 300,000 people every day, the United States and Canada maintain the world’s largest bilateral trading relationship. The Peace Bridge 

and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, are the third- and fourth-busiest commercial 

crossings in the United States, handling $30 billion in commerce each year. 

To better deal with border issues between the United States and Canada, the recent bilateral agreement ‘‘Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Secu-
4 

rity and Economic Competitiveness’’ has been viewed as a major milestone for crossborder security cooperation. 

Announced jointly by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper February 4, 

2011, the plan articulates a shared approach to security in which both countries 

work together to enhance information and intelligence sharing about potential 

threats, to better align trusted traveler programs to reduce wait times for both 

goods and people at border crossings, and to bring Canada’s air passenger screening—particularly for flights coming from Europe or ‘‘non-visa’’ nations—in line with 

U.S. procedures. 

U.S.-CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION SHARING

In addition to U.S.-Canadian cross-border cooperation, information and intelligence sharing between the United States and Canada is robust and both intelligence and law enforcement agencies maintain strong relationships with their Canadian partners. 

COUNTERTERRORISM (CT) COOPERATION IN WESTERN NEW YORK

Here on our side of the border, Buffalo’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), 

maintains the primary law enforcement relationship the Ontario Provincial Police 

(OPP) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on counterterrorism investigations. Led by the FBI, the Buffalo JTTF was most notably responsible for investigating the Lackawanna Six case, which dismantled an al-Qaeda cell of U.S. citizens living in the Buffalo area in 2002. 

This subcommittee has received extensive briefings that indicate that Hezbollah 

maintains a presence in the Toronto Metropolitan area and that Interstate 90, 

which runs through Buffalo, is a known corridor for illicit trafficking of all types— 

including human smuggling. 

INTERNATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGREEMENTS WITH CANADIAN PARTNERS

In addition to the obvious threat human smuggling by terrorist organizations 

poses to U.S.-Canadian border security, the 9/11 Commission identified serious gaps 

in the U.S. visa system. Several of the hijackers entered the United States by obtaining student or other non-immigrant visas and then overstayed their visas in 

order to carry out the attacks. 

One of the key recommendations of the 9/11 Commission was the implementation 

of a biometric entry and exit system. Congress subsequently mandated the creation 

of a fully functioning biometric entry and exit system in the Intelligence Reform and 

Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. Yet 8 years after this legislation was passed, 

United States Government still does not have the ability to collect data on individuals exiting the country. 

Currently, biometric entry systems have been deployed to 119 airports, 19 seaports, and 154 Land Ports of Entry (LPOEs). However, no such biometric exit system currently exists to capture information in real time to understand when an individual exits the country. 

One of the more significant aspect of the Beyond the Border Action Plan involves 

the land entry/exit program in collaboration with Canadian authorities. The Beyond 

the Border Action Plan states that the United States and Canada will serve as the 

exit function for the other country by exchanging entry records. Entries into one 

country will simultaneously serve as exit records from the other. 

By September 30, 2012, Canada and the United States are to begin implementation of a pilot project exchanging entry data for third-country nationals, permanent 

residents of Canada, and U.S. lawful permanent residents, who enter each country 

through two to four common land ports of entry. 

If implemented as planned, the United States will have a fully-functioning land 

border exit system on its Northern Border using biographic data in 2014. 

A more challenging proposal that is still being negotiated would place U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers on Canadian soil to pre-screen freight 

trucks at the Peace Bridge and other major crossings. Though many believe this 

would significantly decrease inspection delays upon entering the United States, the 

issue of CBP officers carrying—and possibly using—firearms on Canadian soil remains to be worked out between the countries. But, I am hopeful the two sides will 

eventually be able to come to an agreement on this important program. 

TODAY’S WITNESSES

To get a better understanding of these and other issues, we will hear from two 

government witnesses representing both DHS and Erie County about the level and 
5 

quality of information sharing on the Northern Border, and how the Beyond the 

Border Action Plan is expected to enhance the intelligence sharing issues that remain to be resolved in order make our border efficient and safe for trade and travelers alike. 

I look forward to hearing from today’s witnesses on this important topic. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Now I recognize the gentleman from New York, the 

Ranking Member of the subcommittee, Mr. Higgins, for any opening statement he may have. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Thank you, Chairman Patrick Meehan, for your 

friendship and your leadership. Pat and I have the unique distinction of playing ice hockey on the Congressional hockey team. We 

play a game every year for charity, and is one of about 5 Members 

of Congress to play ice hockey still. So we welcome you, Mr. Chairman, here today, and we thank you for holding this hearing. 

I would like to extend a thank you to the clerk of the district 

court, Michael Roemer, and his staff at the soon-to-be-named Jackson Courthouse for their hospitality today. I would also like to 

thank the witnesses for appearing before us. I am looking forward 

to their testimony. 

The Department of Homeland Security has several international 

agreements designed to continue to keep our Nation secure while 

working with foreign governments. These agreements enhance security and promote safe travel and trade. Western Europe knows 

all too well the necessity of having strong international agreements. We neighbor Canada, and there is an impressive amount of 

travel and trade that occurs between this area and our neighboring 

country. As the Chairman indicated, we are the busiest Northern 

Border crossing for passenger vehicles and third for commercial vehicles. 

In February 2011, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and 

President Barack Obama signed the Beyond the Borders Declaration. This declaration is to be a long-term partnership built upon 

the perimeter approach to security and economic competitiveness. 

The White House released its Beyond the Border Action Plan, and 

the Department of Homeland Security plays an integral role in this 

process. 

The Action Plan addresses a wide range of areas of cooperation 

between our 2 countries, many of which this subcommittee will and 

has examined. The Action Plan includes the United States and 

Canada collaborating to address threats early through information 

sharing and by improving intelligence. It also includes sharing information intelligence in support of law enforcement. 

This is extremely important because in previous subcommittee 

hearings, we were told about a Hezbollah presence in North America. Hezbollah is Arabic for party of God. It is an Islamic Shia 

group that is committed to violent Jihad. They act as a proxy for 

Syria, for Venezuela, and for Iran. We were told in our committee 

that we should not be too concerned because Hezbollah’s activities 

in 15 North America cities, including Toronto, is limited to fundraising activity. Well, if you are a terrorist organization or recognized as such and you are engaged in fundraising, that to me is 

terrorist activity. 

So we are looking for an action plan that includes an approach 

to screening inbound cargo arriving from offshore and establishing 

robust entry and exit systems at our border. This Action Plan 
6 

seems like a much-needed step in the right direction. However, we 

have lingering questions as to how the elements will be actually 

implemented. 

For instance, how can such a robust plan exist for the Northern 

Border areas, yet this area is not considered high-risk enough for 

State and local officials in this area to receive funding under the 

Urban Area Security Initiative? Without this program and without 

its funding, the local law enforcement and emergency personnel 

will, to sustain some of the advancements it made in 9/11, how can 

they be expected to work with the Federal partners without this 

necessary funding? How will inoperability capacity be increased 

under the Action Plan? The lack of inoperable communications has 

been an issue since September 11, and we have to fix it. What 

under this plan will be done to assist in this gap? 

With regard to cargo screening, the Action Plan raised the possibility of pre-inspection of U.S.-bound cargo traffic on the Canadian 

side of the border crossing. The Peace Bridge, as I mentioned, is 

the second-busiest crossing between the United States and Canada. 

Expediting traffic at the bridge is essential to the economic future 

of Buffalo and western New York. 

A pre-inspection pilot should be held at the Peace Bridge and 

would go a long way toward improving the congestion problem at 

the bridge as a short-term measure. We are looking at other issues, 

building capacity at both the plaza and the bridge span. But preinspection would—make this pilot project would be very, very helpful. 

I am enthused about having a plan that assists in our keeping 

the Northern Border secure and accessible, but it is important that 

this Action Plan works for the personnel that work tirelessly in the 

border areas to mitigate threats and ensure lawful trade. 

The success of the western New York economy and the safety is 

undoubtedly tied to Canada. I look forward to hearing testimony on 

how this Action Plan and other international agreements will be 

used to strengthen security and competitiveness. 

With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you, Ranking Member Higgins. I would also 

like to recognize my good friend, the gentlelady from New York’s 

26th Congressional District, the neighboring district, for any opening comments she may have. Ms. Hochul. 

Ms. HOCHUL. Thank you, Chairman Meehan. Thank you so much 

for hosting this in our lovely city today. We delivered some good 

weather for you today. You leave with good feelings about western 

New York. 

I thank my Ranking Member, Brian Higgins, for your leadership 

on this committee as one of the newest Members of the Homeland 

Security Committee. I have enjoyed the nonpartisanship relationship that we have enjoyed very much, and I think that is a hallmark of that committee as we work together collaboratively to keep 

our country safe. 

I also wanted to thank the witnesses for coming here today. We 

appreciate those. Certainly as a former staffer on Capitol Hill, I 

want to thank the staff that was involved in putting this together, 

traveling here today. Also our personal staffs for all you to do keep 

us in line. So thank you. 
7 

I think we have laid out very well how important our relationship with Canada is as a large trading partner, but also through 

our vulnerabilities that come with such a large border. One of my 

efforts on the committee was to ensure that there is language in 

our Secure Border Act that would make sure that we give the same 

amount of attention that we give to the Southern Border when we 

are making our priorities, the Northern Border, because of its large 

exposure. That is something that was pointed out by the GAO and 

something that we are very cognizant of here in western New York. 

My top priorities in Congress are to make sure that we continue 

to have a better business climate for western New York businesses, 

United States business, and a lot of that hinges on free trade with 

Canada, open borders that allow us to do what we used to do before the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was enacted in 

2004, creating additional barriers. 

I am also concerned about the need to reduce over-burdensome 

regulations that affect that flow of commerce. But also underlying 

all this, and perhaps paramount, is the need to keep us safe. That 

is something, and you mentioned some of the threats we have experienced already, we are very cognizant of. So that is the framework 

from which we work to make sure we have the flow of commerce, 

help our businesses, help our local economy. But safety, protecting 

American citizens, is always at the top. 

So I appreciate this opportunity and look forward to hearing 

from the witnesses and having the opportunity to question them as 

well. Thank you. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you, Ms. Hochul. 

Let me take a moment to say thank you again for our witnesses 

who are here today. We are pleased to have 3 distinguished witnesses to testify on the important topics that have been raised in 

the opening statements. 

I have the pleasure of introducing one of those, Deborah Meyers, 

who is the director of Canadian affairs in the Office of Policy at the 

Department of Homeland Security. Ms. Meyers coordinates the Department’s engagement with Canada in support of the Department’s goals and collaboration with its components, other U.S. Government agencies, and Canadian officials. 

Her portfolio includes counterterrorism and law enforcement 

issues, border management, immigration, critical infrastructure 

protection, and cybersecurity, and emergency preparedness. She 

played a key role in the development declaration between President 

Obama and Prime Minister Harper in 2011 called ‘‘Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness,’’ which articulates a shared approach to security in 

which both countries work together to address threats within, at, 

and away from our borders, while expediting lawful trade and travel. 

Ms. Meyers also helped formulate the Department’s Northern 

Border strategy. 

Thank you for being here, Ms. Meyers. 

I now recognize Ranking Member Higgins to introduce our other 

2 witnesses. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to introduce Mr. Dan 

Neaverth, commissioner of the Erie County Emergency Services. 
8 

Mr. Neaverth has over 22 years of public safety experience in service, with deployments to New York City following the tragic events 

of 9/11, the Binghamton floods, the crash of 3407, the 2006 October 

storm, and Hurricane Irene. Mr. Neaverth has first-hand experience with communication needs in disaster organization and recovery. 

A volunteer firefighter for 22 years, Mr. Neaverth also serves as 

the Orchard Park fire district chief, an adjunct instructor for the 

New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency 

Management, and the Buffalo Bills game day emergency management coordinator. 

We also are pleased to introduce Sheriff James Voutour, sheriff 

of Niagara County. Mr. Voutour has been sheriff for the past 31⁄2

years, and he has been a law enforcement professional for over 20 

years. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you, Ranking Member Higgins. 

At this point in time, I am pleased to recognize in order the witnesses, who will testify before us today. I thank you for your extensive written testimony that was delivered to us. I will ask if you 

can do your best to try to maintain your oral testimony, the best 

you can, within the 5-minute period that we have. At the conclusion of each of your collective testimonies, we will begin the process 

of asking questions. 

So, Ms. Meyers, at this point in time, the Chairman recognizes 

you for your testimony. 

STATEMENT OF DEBORAH W. MEYERS, DIRECTOR, CANADIAN 

AFFAIRS, OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

Ms. MEYERS. Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, and 

Congressman Hochul, thank you very much for the opportunity to 

provide testimony on this important and exciting subject. 

As the director of Canadian affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, I am pleased to discuss the Department’s partnership with Canada to enhance security while facilitating lawful 

trade and travel. 

As you have noted, our partnership with Canada is critical to 

both our National and economic security. With over 5,500 miles of 

land, the U.S.-Canada border is the longest shared border in the 

world. Over 300,000 people and $1.5 billion in trade cross the U.S.- 

Canada border every day, and each country is the other’s largest 

trading partner. 

The importance of a security and economic partnership with Canada is particularly evident here in western New York. In 2011, over 

13 million cars, buses, and trucks crossed between the United 

States and Canada at the region’s 4 crossings—the Peace Bridge, 

the Rainbow Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, and the 

Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. 

In 2011, New York’s exports to Canada topped $16 billion, supporting thousands of U.S. jobs. Canada is also the largest source 

of foreign investment in New York. Mr. Chairman, you may find 

of particular interest to know that 30 percent of the Keystone 

States’ exports go to Canada. Pennsylvania’s exports to Canada are 

3 times greater than the exports to China. 
9 

To preserve and extend the benefits of the U.S.-Canada partnership, on February 2011, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper released the joint declaration ‘‘Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness.’’ This 

declaration was followed by a joint Action Plan released last December, as we noted, outlining specific initiatives to help turn the 

outer border vision into a reality. The outer border commits to the 

United States and Canada to pursue a perimeter approach to security working together, within, at, and away from the borders of our 

2 countries to enhance our security and to accelerate the legitimate 

flow of people, goods, and services between our 2 countries. 

The declaration outlines 4 key areas of cooperation—first, addressing threats early; second, trade facilitation, economic growth, 

and jobs; third, integrate cross border law enforcement; and fourth, 

critical infrastructure and cybersecurity. The Action Plan describes 

the specific initiatives to advance each of these areas of cooperation. 

Information and intelligence sharing support a number of initiatives beyond the border. Specific examples include commitments to 

share risk assessment targeting scenarios and real-time notifications regarding individuals on the U.S. Watch List; provide access 

to information on those who have removed or have been refused admission or a visa from either country; and implement a systematic 

and automated biometric information-sharing capability by 2014 to 

reduce identify fraud and enhance screening decisions. 

Importantly, all of our information sharing under Beyond the 

Border is conducted with respect for our separate constitutional 

and legal frameworks. Toward this end, our countries released the 

joint U.S.-Canada privacy principles in June 2012 to guide and inform all information-sharing activities under Beyond the Border. 

The Beyond the Border Action Plan provides implementation 

time frames, describes how we will measure progress, and names 

the responsible agency or department for each initiative. The White 

House’s National security staff coordinates these efforts within the 

U.S. Government, while bilateral coordination is conducted through 

the Beyond the Border Executive Steering Committee. 

The U.S. and Canadian governments are committed to public engagement and transparency and have participated in numerous 

stakeholder outreach events, including one here in the Niagara region. DHS has also solicited comments on the action for Federal 

Register Notice, and continues to accept input on-line. To ensure 

continued transparency, Canada and the United States will generate a joint public annual Beyond the Border implementation report. 

The United States and Canada already have made significant 

progress implementing the Beyond the Border Action Plan. For example, in May 2012, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the 

Canada Border Services Agency announced joint efforts to expand 

and enhance the trusted traveler program NEXUS, including opening the southbound NEXUS lane the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge. 

In addition, Secretary Napolitano herself held a consultation with 

business traveler stakeholders, and the Canadian immigration 

ministry did the same in Toronto. 
10 

Just this month, CBD and CBSA announced the installation of 

new and advanced sensor technology for the Peace Bridge and the 

Queenston-Lewiston Bridge that will help measure and report 

delays and relay this information to travelers. As a result, people 

will be able to plan their routes better, time their crossings, and 

select the bridge with the best wait times. 

In conclusion, the Beyond the Border Declaration and accompanying Action Plan provide the overarching vision to guide U.S.- 

Canada bilateral cooperation. 

Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, and Congressman 

Hochul, thank you again for the opportunity to provide testimony 

today. I have submitted the written testimony and respectfully ask 

it be made part of this hearing’s official record. I look forward to 

answering any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Meyers follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DEBORAH W. MEYERS

JULY 30, 2012 

Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, and Members of the subcommittee, 

thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony before you today. International 

partnerships and agreements are an integral part of the Department of Homeland 

Security’s (DHS) efforts to combat threats to the U.S. homeland. As the Director of 

Canadian Affairs at the DHS’s Office of International Affairs, I am pleased to discuss the Department’s partnership with Canada to enhance security while facilitating lawful trade and travel. 

THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY’S INTERNATIONAL PRIORITIES

We live in a globalized world, connected by myriad complex networks; a world in 

which the movement of people, goods, and ideas never stops. This openness and 

movement fuel the tremendous opportunities of our networked age. But, they also 

bring additional security challenges. These challenges—from terrorism and violent 

crime, to trafficking of humans and the smuggling of illicit goods, to cyber threats, 

violent extremism, and new pandemic diseases—are evolving rapidly and require increased collaboration among international partners to achieve a rapid response. 

While the core mission of DHS may be domestic security, its achievement depends 

on efforts that extend beyond our borders. 

In order to prevent threats from reaching the homeland from abroad, we work 

with our international partners to try to identify, detect, prevent, and respond to 

threats. Many of them threaten not only the United States but also our allies. To 

this end, we work with foreign partners to respond operationally to security threats 

and to share knowledge and expertise that will ultimately improve our respective 

capabilities. Assisting in this effort, DHS has personnel stationed in over 75 different countries, and these personnel are key to identifying, detecting, and preventing threats before they reach our shores. 

PARTNERSHIP WITH CANADA

Our partnership with Canada is critical to both our National and economic security. At over 5,500 miles in length, the U.S.-Canada border is the longest shared 

common border in the world and includes both land and maritime domains. Additionally, the United States and Canada are connected by over 120 land ports of 

entry. There are more than 3,000 last points of departure flights from Canada into 

the United States each week. Roughly 300,000 people and $1.5 billion in trade cross 

the U.S.-Canada border every day, and each country is the other’s largest trading 

partner. The United States and Canada also share critical infrastructure which includes essential border and other bi-national economic infrastructure such as ports 

of entry, bridges, pipelines, rail lines, power grids, communications networks, and 

water supplies. Some communities straddle the border, with commuters who cross 

the border every day to go to and from work, schools, hospitals, and sporting events. 

Of course, the importance of security and economic partnership with Canada is 

particularly evident in Buffalo, New York. In 2011, over 13 million cars, busses, and 

trucks crossed between the United States and Canada at the region’s four crossings: 

Peace Bridge, Rainbow Bridge, Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, and Lewiston-Queenston 
11 

Bridge. Like the United States more broadly, New York State’s top export destination is Canada. In 2011, New York’s exports to Canada topped $16 billion, supporting thousands of jobs. Canada is also the largest source of foreign investment 

in New York. 

Trade with Canada is not just important for Northern Border States. In fact, Canada is the top export destination for 36 of the 50 States. For example, nearly 30% 

of exports from Pennsylvania are destined for Canada. Pennsylvania’s exports to 

Canada are over three times as large as the State’s next most frequent foreign export destination, China. 

Over time, both the United States and Canada have recognized our interdependencies and shared responsibilities and have worked closely together to expedite the 

secure movement of legitimate travel, while protecting our people from common 

threats such as terrorism, trafficking, and crime. For example, both the 2001 U.S.- 

Canada Smart Border Accords and the 2005 Security and Prosperity Partnership of 

North America demonstrated the United States’ recognition that we can achieve our 

security goals only through collaboration with our neighbors and partners, and resulted in some important achievements such as the trusted traveler program 

NEXUS and enhanced law enforcement cooperation through Integrated Border Enforcement Teams. The successful bilateral collaboration supporting the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics thrived in areas ranging from maritime and aviation security to infrastructure improvements and emergency preparedness provides a more 

recent example. 

THE UNITED STATES-CANADA BEYOND THE BORDER DECLARATION AND ACTION PLAN

Recognizing the continued importance of the U.S.-Canada partnership, President 

Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper released the joint 

declaration, Beyond the Border: A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, on February 4, 2011. This declaration committed the United 

States and Canada to pursue a perimeter approach to security, working together 

within, at, and away from the borders of our two countries to enhance our security 

and accelerate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and services between our two 

countries. Beyond the Border includes multiple Cabinet-level departments, reflecting 

a true interagency effort within each government and binationally. 

The Beyond the Border declaration outlines four key areas of cooperation: 

• Addressing Threats Early; 

• Trade Facilitation, Economic Growth, and Jobs; 

• Integrated Cross-Border Law Enforcement; and 

• Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity. 

Importantly, the Beyond the Border declaration also committed our governments 

to develop a joint Action Plan outlining the specific initiatives we will undertake to 

realize the goals of this declaration. Following months of deliberate and constructive 

work with our Canadian partners, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper released the Beyond the Border Action Plan on December 7, 2011. The Action Plan 

specifies several initiatives in support of each of the four Key Areas of Cooperation. 

To Address Threats Early, the United States and Canada are improving our intelligence and information sharing, and developing joint and parallel threat assessments in order to support informed risk management decisions. We are working together to uncover and disrupt threats and counter violent extremism and to enhance 

domain awareness. We also are enhancing our efforts to identify and screen travelers at the earliest point possible, with a common approach, including biometrics. 

This fall, we will pilot an integrated U.S.-Canada Entry-Exit system at the land border in which documented entry into one country serves to verify exit from the other 

country. 

To support Trade Facilitation, Economic Growth, and Jobs, the United States and 

Canada are pursuing creative and effective solutions to manage the flow of information, goods, and people across our shared border. We are implementing common 

practices and streamlined procedures for customs processing and regulatory compliance, and expanding, harmonizing, and automating trusted traveler and trader programs. We are investing in modern infrastructure and technology, making our 

shared border more efficient and secure, and facilitating cross-border business travel. We are finalizing an integrated cargo security strategy that, among other things, 

ensures compatible screening methods for goods and cargo before they depart foreign ports for the United States or Canada, and consequently, accelerate subsequent 

border crossings between our two countries. Through U.S.-Canada port of entry 

committees, we are promoting collaboration between our Government officials on 

overall port management. We also intend to negotiate an agreement to allow for 
12 

preclearance operations in the land, rail, and sea modes as well as update the existing air preclearance agreement. 

To advance Integrated Cross-Border Law Enforcement, we will deploy regularized 

Shiprider operations in which U.S. and Canadian officials jointly patrol our shared 

waterways. Building on the successes of Shiprider as well as Integrated Border Enforcement Teams and Border Enforcement Security Taskforces, we intend to develop 

the next generation of integrated cross-border law enforcement operations, and pursue National security and transnational crime investigations together. To support 

these bilateral law enforcement efforts, we are advancing greater law enforcement 

interoperability and information sharing between our countries. 

In order to jointly safeguard our Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity, we are 

working together to prevent, respond to, and recover from physical and cyber disruptions of critical infrastructure, including creating U.S.-Canada opportunities for 

joint risk analysis and conducting joint outreach with stakeholders. We are also 

strengthening our resilience to threats and hazards that both our nations face, including further enhancing our collective preparedness and response capacity to a 

range of health security threats and natural and man-made disasters. 

Information and Intelligence Sharing Under the Beyond the Border Action Plan 

Information and intelligence sharing support a number of initiatives in the Beyond the Border Action Plan. Importantly, all of our information-sharing work under 

the Beyond the Border Action Plan is being conducted with respect for our separate 

constitutional and legal frameworks that protect privacy, civil liberties, and human 

rights and provide for appropriate recourse and redress. The Beyond the Border Action Plan committed our countries to developing joint United States-Canada Privacy 

Principles, which were released in June 2012. The United States-Canada Privacy 

Principles inform and guide information and intelligence sharing under the Beyond 

the Border Action Plan. These joint principles reflect the shared commitment of the 

United States and Canada to protecting privacy consistent with each country’s domestic laws. Responsible sharing not only demonstrates respect for citizens’ privacy 

and civil liberties but also facilitates and promotes the flow of accurate, relevant, 

and necessary information to address threats to national security and conduct law 

enforcement. 

Areas of work include: 

• Addressing agency policies that may improve information sharing by developing 

clear channels or mechanisms for cross-border sharing of intelligence and information; 

• Promoting increased informal sharing of law enforcement intelligence, information, and evidence through police and prosecutorial channels, consistent with 

the respective domestic laws of each country; and 

• Examining whether current frameworks should be changed to address impediments to cooperation, and to ensure that the terms of applicable laws, agreements and treaties provide the widest measure of cooperation possible. 

Specific examples of information-sharing initiatives under the Beyond the Border 

Action Plan include commitments to: 

• Share risk assessment/targeting scenarios, and enhance real-time notifications 

regarding the arrival of individuals on U.S. security watch lists; 

• Provide access to information on those who have been removed or who have 

been refused admission or a visa from either country, including those with 

criminal convictions; and 

• Implement a systematic and automated biographic information sharing capability by 2013 and biometric information-sharing capability by 2014 to reduce 

identity fraud and enhance screening decisions, and support other administrative and enforcement actions. 

Together, these initiatives will help improve immigration and border determinations, establish and verify the identities of travelers, and conduct screening at the 

earliest point possible. 

Oversight and Implementation of the Beyond the Border Action Plan 

The Beyond the Border Action Plan provides implementation time frames, describes how we will measure progress, and names a responsible agency or Department for each initiative. Numerous U.S. agencies and Departments are involved in 

implementing the Beyond the Border Action Plan, including the Departments of 

State, Justice, Agriculture, and Transportation. However, DHS and its component 

agencies are the U.S. lead for a majority of the Beyond the Border initiatives. The 

National Security Staff coordinates these efforts within the U.S. Government while 

bilateral management and oversight of the Action Plan’s implementation is conducted through the Beyond the Border Executive Steering Committee, which in-
13 

cludes senior-level representation from multiple U.S. agencies and their Canadian 

counterparts. 

The U.S. and Canadian governments are also committed to public engagement 

and transparency. The input and cooperation of public and private-sector stakeholders are key as the U.S. Government moves forward with this ambitious Action 

Plan. Since the December 2011 announcement of the Beyond the Border Action 

Plan, the United States and Canada have participated in numerous stakeholder outreach events, including in Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Helena and Missoula, Montana; Cleveland, Ohio; Bellingham 

and Seattle, Washington; Washington, DC; Calgary, Alberta; Ottawa, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. DHS also has solicited comments on the Beyond the Border Action Plan through a Federal Register 

Notice posted in December 2011, and the Department continues to accept input online at beyondtheborder@hq.dhs.gov. The feedback and comments received, both inperson at outreach events, through correspondence, and on-line, are helping to inform the implementation efforts. All of the Beyond the Border-related documents 

and announcements are available on-line at www.dhs.gov/beyond-the-border. 

Finally, to ensure continued transparency, Canada and the United States will 

generate a joint, public annual Beyond the Border Implementation Report, which 

will be issued yearly during the 3-year period set out in the Leaders’ February 4, 

2011 Declaration, with the expectation of continuation. The first such annual report 

will be released by December 31, 2012. 

Early Accomplishments Under the Beyond the Border Action Plan 

The United States and Canada already have made significant progress in implementing the Beyond the Border Action Plan since December 2011. For example, as 

previously mentioned, the United States-Canada Joint Privacy Principles were publicly released in June 2012. 

In February 2012, Canada began recognizing NEXUS members for trusted traveler lanes at passenger pre-board screening points for flights from Canada to the 

United States. This initiative decreases screening time for trusted travelers departing Canada for the United States by as much as 70%. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) intends to provide a similar benefit to trusted travelers departing the United States to Canada following the full implementation of the 

PreCheckTM program. 

In May 2012, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced joint efforts to expand and enhance the trusted traveler program NEXUS, including conducting enrollment blitzes, implementing an expedited renewal process, and creating a plan to expand NEXUS lanes and booths 

at key ports of entry. Initial steps include reducing the backlog of NEXUS applicants in Ottawa, deploying a new trusted traveler kiosk at Billy Bishop Toronto City 

Airport, and opening a NEXUS lane at the Queenston/Lewiston Bridge. In May and 

June of this year, CBSA and CBP enrolled more than 1,000 new members into the 

NEXUS program. 

Also, CBSA has announced it will extend NEXUS membership eligibility to citizens of Canada currently residing abroad, or who have recently returned to Canada. 

The United States amended this requirement in 2009. CBP and CBSA also announced the installation of new and advanced sensor technology at the Peace Bridge 

and Queenston-Lewiston Bridge that will help measure and report delays, and relay 

this information to travelers. As a result, people will be able to plan their routes 

better, time their crossing, and select the bridge with the best wait times. 

Furthermore, in May, TSA and Transport Canada also announced mutual recognition of our respective air cargo security programs, eliminating rescreening except for 

cause. Cargo shipped on passenger aircraft will be screened at the point of origin 

and will not need to be rescreened at the border or prior to upload in the other country, thereby increasing the efficiency of screening and reducing the burden on industry. 

Also in May, DHS released the Considerations for United States-Canada Border 

Traffic Disruption Management guide. This guide outlines best practices and identifies critical issues to consider when developing or updating traffic management 

plans to ensure they are tailored to address regional requirements and individual 

border crossings. Following this, in June DHS released the Compendium of U.S.- 

Canada Emergency Management Assistance Mechanisms, which summarizes National-level acts, agreements, frameworks, guidance, plans, and procedures for emergency response operations, communication and coordination, preparedness, and recovery. 

By the end of 2011, CBP and CBSA established joint Port of Entry Committees 

at the 20 largest land border ports of entry, and in June 2012, they announced the 
14 

establishment of similar committees at the eight Canadian airports at which CBP 

conducts preclearance. The committees help facilitate legitimate cross-border trade 

and travel and promote collaboration on overall port management, by, for example, 

identifying specific initiatives to improve border management and efficiency. 

In June 2012, the Canadian Parliament passed legislation permanently authorizing the Shiprider program. Under Shiprider, U.S. and Canadian authorities jointly 

patrol shared waterways such as the Great Lakes, thereby removing the maritime 

border as an impediment to law enforcement. 

In July, the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and 

the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced the completion of plans to initiate 

a pilot project in September on import re-inspection activities for fresh meat. This 

project will consider alternative methods for reviewing import documents prior to 

the shipment’s arrival at the U.S. border and alternative methods for release of 

shipments that are destined for further processing at a Food Safety and Inspection 

Service official establishment. 

Other key initiatives are scheduled to be implemented by the end of 2012, including: • Implementing an entry-exit pilot project at two to four automated common land 

border ports of entry, such that a record of entry into one country could be considered as a record of an exit from the other; • Completing the first-ever Joint Border Infrastructure Investment Plan, which 

will help ensure mutual understanding of available funding for targeted projects 

and the schedule, scope, and responsibilities for those projects; 

• Launching pilot programs to validate and shape the implementation of the Integrated Cargo Security Strategy, with an aim toward resolving security and contraband concerns as early as possible in the supply chain or at the perimeter. 

• Updating the existing air preclearance agreement and negotiating a 

preclearance agreement in the land, rail, and marine modes to provide the legal 

framework and reciprocal authorities necessary for CBP and CBSA to effectively 

carry out their security, facilitation, and inspection processes in the other country. 

DHS NORTHERN BORDER STRATEGY

Finally, I want to briefly discuss the DHS Northern Border Strategy, released in 

June 2012. The DHS Northern Border Strategy is the first unified DHS strategy to 

guide the Department’s polices and operations at the U.S.-Canada border. It takes 

a Department-wide look at the Northern Border and considers all of DHS’s authorities, responsibilities, and capabilities to describe a cross-cutting, all-missions approach. It is consistent with and will help advance the bilateral initiatives outlined 

in the Beyond the Border Action Plan. 

The DHS Northern Border Strategy identifies three key goals: 

• Deterring and preventing terrorism and smuggling, trafficking, and illegal immigration; 

• Safeguarding and encouraging the efficient flow of lawful trade, travel, and immigration; and 

• Ensuring community resiliency before, during, and after terrorist attacks and 

other disasters. 

To accomplish these goals, DHS will utilize five means and methods: 

• Partnerships; 

• Information, intelligence, interdictions, and investigations; 

• Technology; 

• Infrastructure; and 

• Personnel. 

The DHS Northern Border Strategy recognizes that partnerships with Canada are 

particularly critical for enhancing Northern Border security. By articulating key 

goals and the means and methods to be used to achieve those goals, the DHS Northern Border Strategy enables the Department to be a better partner in implementing 

the Beyond the Border Action Plan. 

CONCLUSION

The proximity of Canada to the United States, the large flows of goods and people 

between our two countries, and the intertwined nature of our economies, communities, and the security of our citizens require that bilateral security cooperation remain a U.S. priority. The Beyond the Border Declaration and accompanying Action 

Plan provide the overarching vision to guide U.S.-Canada bilateral cooperation. This 

initiative has already and will continue to yield important security and trade and 

travel benefits for the American public. DHS is committed to working with partners 
15 

in and outside of government on both sides of the border to see through its implementation. 

Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, and Members of the subcommittee, 

let me conclude by reiterating my appreciation for the opportunity to provide testimony today. I look forward to answering any questions. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you, Ms. Meyers. 

At this point in time, Commissioner Neaverth, we would look forward to your testimony. 

STATEMENT OF DANIEL J. NEAVERTH, JR., COMMISSIONER, 

DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY SERVICES, ERIE COUNTY, 

NEW YORK 

Mr. NEAVERTH. Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, 

and, of course, Committee Member Hochul. I am Daniel J. 

Neaverth Jr., Commissioner of the Erie County Department of 

Emergency Services, and I want to thank you for the opportunity 

to testify and submit for the record regarding cross-border initiatives, collaborative homeland security efforts, and intelligence sharing. 

The Buffalo, Erie, and Niagara Urban Area Security Initiative, 

under the leadership of its three co-chairs, facilitate the direction 

of our homeland security efforts consistent with Presidential directives. 

Homeland security efforts in our community feature numerous 

partners and key stakeholders. Local, county, State, and Federal 

agencies gather routinely to discuss best practices, intelligence updates, and training initiatives. 

Even before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the first response agencies of western New York worked in a collaborative effort to train, equip, and respond as a region. We count among these 

partners the Niagara Region of Canada. Our International Joint 

Commission has resulted in the cross-border contingency plan. Now 

this cross-border contingency plan is very historic. As a matter of 

fact, the joint tradition has resulted in the plan itself and its agreement in North America is the first of its kind. The signatures on 

this document represent a common goal between the Niagara Region of Canada, including all of its municipal entities, the City of 

Buffalo, and the Counties of Erie as well as Niagara. 

Now the primary focus of the agreement is to expedite appropriate resources in times, and even before times, of crisis, and to 

focus those energies where they are needed. A secondary benefit is 

a regularly-scheduled grass-roots dialogue between international 

partners often missed on the Federal level. I am happy to announce 

that Sean Herbert, who is the associate director of regional emergency planning, was part of that as co-chair, is in the room with 

us here today, and he is happy to be a part of this effort. 

Well, these efforts have resulted in maximizing collective talents 

regardless of jurisdiction. The project has led to cross-border exercises, planning events, and facilitation of our Canadian counterparts in Homeland Security trainings that were previously limited 

to U.S. citizens. 

One particular effort that I take great pride in has been the 

cross-training of personnel in the incident command system, as 

well as hazardous materials. This partnership has resulted in a 

timely notification during incidents and, more recently, investment 
16 

in a common emergency management platform known as Disaster 

LAN or DLAN. 

As for intelligence gathering, I requested that one of our partner 

agencies update me on the current cross-border initiatives. I hope 

you fully appreciate the fact that my department does not have as 

a key mission an intelligence component, but that we are kept in 

the loop and updated on key issues and concerns several times per 

week. My inquiry was with New York State Investigator Fred 

Andriaccio. He is with Troop A’s counterterrorism unit. 

Investigator Andriaccio commented that his group, and I quote, 

‘‘They’re actively involved in several cross-border intelligence and 

information-sharing initiatives, including Canadian and American 

law enforcement organizations, CALEO, a monthly meeting that 

brings together numerous law enforcement agencies from both 

sides of the border, meeting 1 month in Canada, and the next 

month they come back to the United States. We also sponsor a very 

well-attended educational training summit each year. The New 

York State Police counterterrorism unit, they hold counterterrorism 

meetings, and law enforcement and emergency response agencies 

are all invited.’’ There are more details in my statement. 

Now I attended their 2012 counterterrorism conference held at 

the First Niagara Center in downtown Buffalo. There was excellence in attendance. It was attended by not only our Canadian 

partners from law enforcement, but other emergency management 

branches as well. 

Now some of our key homeland security-funded initiatives include a 400-MHz interoperable platform. This allows our fire agencies in Erie County to communicate with each other on a common 

spectrum. Our mobile operations command vehicles serve as a regional resource allowing numerous agencies in and out of Erie 

County the tools for a more effective management of command and 

control during prolonged incidents and planned events. 

Currently our 9–1–1 system is being updated. Thank you for the 

homeland security funding for that. The critical upgrade will enhance all public safety answering points in the county with more 

accurate dispatch. 

One of Erie’s that is a Homeland Security funding that I think 

has been absolutely tremendous has been in the area of the western district incident management team. The team consists of Federal Emergency Management Agency-trained personnel from a 10- 

county region of the western New York area. This, when requested, 

responds to disasters within the State, assisting local, county, and 

State agencies with emergency management, incident command solutions, and incident action plan development. The team has already deployed to several disasters, including last year’s devastating floods following Hurricane Irene, the 2010 Gowanda 

floods, and of course the crash of flight 3407. 

The list of accomplishments is incredible. The partnerships are 

priceless. Of course, concerns about the reduction funding to urban 

area security groups—many of these projects have reoccurring 

maintenance costs, calibration issues, and personnel budget lines 

tied directly to the life of that grant. 

The co-chairs of the BEN region fully appreciate the current economic environment, and we realize that everybody must feel the 
17 

pain. But we question the decisions to depart from the established 

threats and critical infrastructure-based criteria. A short drive 

from this facility, as you noted, you will find our international 

crossings, the economic arteries of North America. You will also 

find the engine that powers the Northeast. 

I will wrap things up now and conclude my comments here. With 

millions of homeland security dollars being dedicated to interoperable projects and tighter and tighter spend-down time tables, one 

area we would like to focus on is the FCC. They are extremely accommodating, and the Federal agencies on both sides of the border 

are aware of this. However, we have some major needs and major 

concerns with the licensing of these frequencies as it relates to 

cross-border. I can get more into that with my testimony if you 

would like. 

Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, and Subcommittee 

Member Hochul, let me conclude by reiterating my appreciation for 

the opportunity to provide testimony today. The first responders of 

western New York have repeatedly answered the call. They have 

faced man-made horrors of Ground Zero with our brothers and sisters in New York City and the wrath of Mother Nature. Sustained 

funding for equipping and training these individuals is critical to 

that mission. I thank you for your time and look forward to answering any of your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Neaverth follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DANIEL J. NEAVERTH, JR. 

JULY 30, 2012 

Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, and Members of the committee: I 

am Daniel J. Neaverth, Jr., Commissioner of the Erie County Department of Emergency Services. Thank you for the opportunity to testify and submit testimony for 

the record regarding cross-border initiatives, collaborative homeland security efforts, 

and intelligence sharing. 

The Buffalo, Erie, and Niagara Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) under the 

leadership of its three co-chairs, facilitate the direction of our Homeland Security 

efforts consistent with Presidential Directives. Homeland Security efforts in our 

community feature numerous partners and key stakeholders. Local, county, State, 

and Federal agencies routinely gather for discussions on best practices, intelligence 

updates, and training initiatives. 

Even before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the first response agencies 

of Western New York have worked in a collaborative environment to train, equip, 

and respond as a region. We count among these partners the Niagara Region of 

Canada. Our International Joint Commission (IJC) has resulted in the Cross-Border 

Contingency Plan, a historic first-of-its-kind agreement in North America. The signatures on this document represent a common goal between the Niagara Region of 

Canada including all of their municipal entities, the City of Buffalo, and the Counties of Niagara and Erie. The primary focus of the agreement, expedite appropriate 

resources in times of crisis regardless of the imaginary lines we define as borders. 

A secondary benefit is a regularly-scheduled grass-roots dialogue between international partners often missed at the Federal level. 

These efforts have resulted in maximizing collective talents regardless of jurisdiction. This project has lead to cross-border exercises, planning events, and facilitation 

of our Canadian counterparts in Homeland Security trainings previously limited to 

U.S. citizens. One particular effort that I take great pride in has been the crosstraining of personnel in the Incident Command System and hazardous materials. 

This partnership has resulted in timely notifications during incidents and more recently, investment in a common emergency management platform known as Disaster Lan or DLAN. 

As for intelligence gathering I requested that one of our partner agencies update 

me on the current cross-border initiatives. I hope you appreciate the fact that my 

department doesn’t have as our key mission an intelligence component but that we 
18 

are kept in the loop and updated on key issues and concerns several times per week. 

My inquiry was directed to investigator, Fred Andriaccio, Troop A Counter-Terrorism Unit. 

Investigator Andriaccio commented that his group is: 

‘‘ . . . actively involved in several cross-border intelligence and information-sharing 

initiatives including the Canadian American Law Enforcement Organization 

(CALEO), a monthly meeting that brings together numerous LE agencies from both 

sides of the border, meeting 1 month in Canada, the next in the United States. We 

also sponsor a very well-attended educational training summit each year; this year 

it was in Buffalo, NY. The purpose is to network with agencies from across the border, as well as our own Law Enforcement partners, sharing intelligence information 

and educational training initiatives. 

‘‘Another group is the Integrated Border Enforcement Teams (IBET) of which our 

Partnership Purpose and Goal is increasing the effectiveness of the Smart Border 

Action Plan signed by the U.S. Attorney General and the Canadian Solicitor General in December 2001. The IBET GIS Work Group was formed to support IBET’s 

mission of securing the U.S./Canadian border by facilitating partnerships such as 

the Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) The LULC data and the partnerships developed 

through this project will support a joint Common Operational Picture (COP) that 

involves multiple law enforcement agencies. 

‘‘In our New York State Police Counterterrorism Unit, we hold Counterterrorism 

Zone meetings, and the Canadian Law Enforcement and Emergency Response agencies are always invited.’’ 

I attended the 2012 Counterterrorism Conference, held at the First Niagara Center in downtown Buffalo. There was excellent attendance by our Canadian brothers 

and sisters in law enforcement and emergency responders. I would like to thank Investigator Andriaccio and note that my request for updates on his cross-border 

projects and his prompt reply, should serve to reinforce the cooperation that exists 

among all of our agencies. 

Some of our key Homeland Security-funded initiatives include, a 400-MHz interoperable platform allowing all fire agencies in Erie County to communicate with 

each other on a common spectrum. Our mobile operations command vehicles serve 

as a regional resource allowing numerous agencies in and out of Erie County the 

tools to more efficiently manage command and control during prolonged incidents 

and planned events. Currently our 9–1–1 system is being updated. This critical upgrade will enhance all public safety answering points in the county with more accurate dispatch information. Funds have been dedicated to improve surveillance, detection update all hazard plans, plus equipment and train our first responder on the 

latest tactics. 

Your Homeland Security funding efforts have allowed us to create the Western 

District Incident Management Team (IMT). This team consists of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-trained personnel from a 10-county region of 

Western New York. The team when requested responds to disasters within the 

State, assisting local, county, and State agencies with emergency management, incident command solutions and incident action plan development. The team has already deployed to several disasters, including last year’s devastating floods following 

Hurricane Irene; the 2010 Gowanda, New York floods; and closer to home, the crash 

of Flight 3407. 

The list of accomplishments is impressive; the partnerships, priceless. Of concern 

however is the reduction of funded Urban Area Security groups. Many of these 

projects have reoccurring maintenance costs, calibration issues and personnel budget lines tied directly to the life of the grant. The co-chairs of the BEN region fully 

appreciate the current economic environment and the realization that everyone 

needs to share in reductions. We question the decision to depart from the established threat and critical infrastructure-based criteria. A short drive from this facility you will find our international crossings, the economic arteries of North America. 

You will also find the engine that powers the Northeast. 

An area in need of better collaboration on the Federal level involves the approval 

of Federal Communication Commission (FCC) licenses for first response agencies 

bordering Canada. Currently an agency, in addition to the traditional FCC application, must wait for cross-border approval so as to avoid potential interference. 

Whereas I fully appreciate the need for communication channels to be vetted, the 

time frame for acceptance is excessive. Oftentimes, despite a clear demonstration of 

negative interference, licenses are denied. Erie County applied for 400-MHz approval to activate our MED channels early in 2011. We have yet to receive approval. 

The end result, a key component of our county-wide system designed to assist in 
19 

ambulance tracking, mass casualty tactical operations and hospital status, remains 

silent. 

With millions of homeland security dollars being dedicated to interoperable 

projects and tighter and tighter spend-down time tables, it’s imperative that constructive dialogue begin on rectifying this cross-border public safety issue. 

The FCC has been extremely accommodating and Federal agencies on both sides 

of the border are aware, however this needs to be front and center on everyone’s 

radar. It’s a large border with thousands of agencies seeking a more efficient means 

of approval. Improvements in our ability to detect, deter, and respond shouldn’t be 

negatively impacted by a lack of dialogue. 

Chairman Meehan, Ranking Member Higgins, and Members of the subcommittee, 

let me conclude by reiterating my appreciation for the opportunity to provide testimony today. The first responders of Western New York have repeatedly answered 

the call. They faced the man-made horrors of Ground Zero with our brothers and 

sisters in New York and the wrath of Mother Nature. Sustained funding for equipping and training of these individuals is critical to that mission. I thank you for 

your time and look forward to answering any questions. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you, Commissioner. I am grateful for your 

testimony. 

Sheriff Voutour—is that how it—— 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. That is correct, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Voutour, thank you. I appreciate your being here 

today, and look forward to your testimony. Sheriff Voutour. 

STATEMENT OF JAMES R. VOUTOUR, SHERIFF, NIAGARA 

COUNTY, NEW YORK 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. Mr. Chairman and distinguished Members of 

the subcommittee, my name is James Voutour. I am the elected 

sheriff of Niagara County, New York. I have been a law enforcement professional for the past 20 years and sheriff for the past 31⁄2

years. 

As the chief law enforcement official of Niagara County, I am responsible for keeping the peace and protecting the citizens of Niagara County. It is my honor to be asked to testify here today, and 

I thank you for that privilege. I will try to make my testimony a 

little bit more specific to Niagara County, although we are a response partner with Erie County and the Buffalo region. 

As you know, Niagara County is located in the northwest corner 

of New York State. The combined population for the Buffalo-Niagara region is 1.35 million, and that is before a single tourist sets 

foot in our area. What is unique about our county is that we share 

an international border with Canada to our west, to our north, and 

a small portion to our south. In total, there are approximately 40 

miles of international border we are charged with protecting in Niagara County. 

We are host to one of the wonders of the world with Niagara 

Falls, which attracts millions of tourists from around the world 

yearly. We have 3 international ports of entry in Niagara County 

as we have heard today—the Rainbow Bridge, the Whirlpool 

Bridge, and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. These bridges account 

for a large portion of the traffic into the United States and are 

among the most active bridges in the entire country. 

More than 13 million people cross these bridges into the BuffaloNiagara area on an annual basis. There are 7,000 commercial vehicles crossing the international bridges on a daily basis. A single, 

significant incident occurring on any of these bridges could result 
20 

in a Nation-wide hardening of all international traffic, resulting in 

an immediate economic impact throughout North America. 

I mention our international bridges first for good reason. Niagara 

County sits just 30 miles south of the Greater Toronto area. The 

Greater Toronto area is home to nearly 6 million people, of which 

nearly half are immigrants. The population in and around Toronto 

continues to grow at a rapid pace, making Toronto one of the most 

multicultural cities on face of the earth. 

Toronto has become a destination for refugees from strife-torn 

countries in the Middle East. Many of these citizens travel across 

our international bridges on a regular basis to take advantage of 

comparatively lower prices with less tax at our shopping malls, and 

they continue on to northeast cities such as New York and Washington, DC. 

Local law enforcement is the second line of defense in supporting 

Federal agencies, such as Customs and Border Protection and the 

Border Patrol, in their mission of ensuring that all those desiring 

entry into the United States are both properly screened and vetted 

at our established ports of entries. 

Niagara County is also home to the Niagara Power Project, the 

largest producer of electricity in New York State, generating 2.4 

million kilowatts of power. The economic impact of a terrorist attack at the Niagara Power Plant would be catastrophic not only for 

New York, but also for the entire northeast and Canada. 

The Buffalo-Niagara region has long been home to a number of 

plants in the electro, petro, and chemical industry. There are more 

than 50 facilities that produce, store, and ship extremely hazardous 

materials in the Niagara region alone. These materials are transported daily and throughout the region by truck and train, making 

the area vulnerable to a catastrophic event. 

The mission of the Buffalo/Erie, Niagara Urban Area Work 

Group is to maximize the efforts of jurisdictions located in the Buffalo, Erie, and Niagara areas to prevent, prepare, respond to, and 

recover from acts of terrorism, including weapons of mass destruction and naturally occurring catastrophic events. 

UASI funding has allowed us to train, equip, practice, and prepare for such events described in our mission statement. Our expertise was put to the test with the crash of flight 3407, the 

Gowanda floods of 2009, and the October storm of 2006. The funding has allowed Niagara County to participate in regional and Federal task forces throughout our region. 

Our sheriff’s office currently assigns full-time investigators to the 

FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. The FBI regional computer 

forensics lab, the Buffalo Office of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Army Counterintelligence Unit, and Customs and Border 

Protection, also assign members to our Niagara County Drug Task 

Force. 

I cannot stress enough the importance I place on having the ability to assign my staff to these task forces to protect our region. You 

may remember the arrests and convictions of the Lackawanna Six 

in the spring of 2002. This discovery and arrest was a direct result 

of the JTTF here in Buffalo, and a Niagara County sheriff’s investigator played an important key role in that investigation. 
21 

Mr. Chairman, the continuing success of the task force needs 

three key pieces. First, we must have a dedicated pool of experienced law enforcement officials. Second, we need highly-trained law 

enforcement leadership. Third, the financial resources that the 

Federal Government can provide. 

Niagara County is facing a shrinking budget once again in 2013. 

The recent elimination of the Buffalo-Niagara UASI group greatly 

diminishes the ability to protect our borders. We need to continue 

to plan, equip, and practice to protect our citizens. We also need 

to continue to improve our interoperable communications for our 

first responders and build fusion centers with our Canadian partners to share not only intelligence, but real-time intelligence. I fear 

that these financial cuts will quickly bring the Buffalo-Niagara region back into pre-9/11 times. 

Mr. Chairman, I applaud your committee for the work you have 

embarked on to protect our borders. Your support in Washington 

is greatly needed and greatly appreciated by the Buffalo/Niagara 

region. I believe that if we work together, we will be able to uphold 

our oath to serve and protect, and the Buffalo-Niagara group will 

be able to fulfill our mission statement. Thank you for the opportunity to address this committee. 

I would like to close with a quote from our President: ‘‘We cannot 

continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the National 

security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got have a civilian National security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as 

well-funded.’’ 

Mr. Chairman, my partners here are your civilian National security force. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Sheriff Voutour follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SHERIFF JAMES R. VOUTOUR

JULY 30, 2012 

Mr. Chairman and distinguished Members of the subcommittee, I am James R. 

Voutour, the elected sheriff of Niagara County, New York. I have been a law enforcement professional for the past 20 years and sheriff for the past 31⁄2 years. As 

the chief law enforcement official in Niagara County, I am responsible for keeping 

the peace and protecting the citizens of Niagara County. It is my honor to be asked 

to testify here today, and I thank you for the privilege. 

As you know, Niagara County is located in the northwest corner of New York 

State. The combined population for the Buffalo-Niagara region is 1.35 million before 

a single tourist enters the region. What is unique about our county is that we share 

an international border with Canada to our west, to our north, and a small portion 

to our south. In total, there are approximately 40 miles of international border we 

are charged with protecting. We are host to one of the wonders of the world with 

Niagara Falls, attracting millions of tourists from around the world yearly. We have 

3 international ports of entry in Niagara County: the Rainbow Bridge, the Whirlpool 

Bridge, and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. These bridges account for a large portion of traffic into the United States and are among the most active bridges in the 

country. More than 14 million people cross the bridges into the Buffalo-Niagara area 

on an annual basis. There are 7,000 commercial vehicles crossing the international 

bridges on a daily basis. A single, significant incident occurring on any of these 

bridges would result in a Nation-wide ‘‘hardening’’ of all international traffic, resulting in an immediate economic impact throughout North America. 

I mention our international bridges first for good reason. Niagara County sits just 

30 miles south of the Greater Toronto area. The Greater Toronto area is home to 

nearly 6 million people, of which nearly half are recent immigrants. The population 

in and around Toronto continues to grow at a rapid pace making Toronto one of the 

most multi-cultural cities on Earth. Toronto has also become the destination for refugees from strife-torn countries in the Middle East. Many of these citizens travel 
22 

across our international bridges on a regular basis to take advantage of comparatively lower prices and less tax at our shopping malls and to continue on to northeast cities such as New York and Washington, DC. Local law enforcement is the second line of defense in supporting Federal agencies such as Custom and Border Protection and Border Patrol in their mission of insuring that all those desiring entry 

to the United States are properly screened at our established ports of entry. The 

loss of UASI funding will greatly diminish our ability to maintain this working relation, particularly with our Canadian partners. 

Niagara County is also home to the Niagara Power Project, the largest producer 

of electricity in New York State, generating 2.4 million kilowatts of power. The economic impact of a terrorist attack at the Niagara Power Plant would be catastrophic 

for not only New York, but also the entire Northeast and Canada. The Buffalo-Niagara region has long been home to a large number of plants in the electro-petrochemical industry. There are more than 50 facilities that produce, store, and ship 

extremely hazardous materials in our region alone. These materials are transported 

daily throughout the region by truck and train making the area vulnerable to a catastrophic event. 

The mission of the Buffalo/Erie/Niagara Urban Area Work Group is to maximize 

the efforts of jurisdictions located in the Buffalo, Erie, and Niagara areas to prevent, 

prepare for, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and events involving 

weapons of mass destruction and naturally occurring catastrophic events. 

UASI funding has allowed our region to train, equip, practice, and prepare for 

such events described in our mission statement. Our expertise was put to the test 

with the crash of flight 3407, the Gowanda floods of 2009, and the October storm 

of 2006. The funding also allows Niagara County to participate in regional, Federal 

tasks forces throughout the region. Our sheriff’s office currently assigns full-time investigators to the Buffalo FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), the FBI’s regional 

computer forensics lab, the Buffalo Office of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) 

and the FBI’s cyber task force. Conversely, the Buffalo Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, 

and Firearms (ATF), the Army Counter-Intelligence Unit and Customs and Border 

Protection all assign an agent to the Niagara County Drug Task Force. I cannot 

stress enough the importance I place on having the ability to assign my staff to 

these task forces to protect our region. You may remember the arrest and conviction 

of the Lackawanna Six in the spring of 2002. This discovery and arrest was a direct 

result of the JTTF task force and a Niagara County Sheriff’s Investigator played a 

key role in the investigation. 

Mr. Chairman, the continuing success of this task force needs three key pieces. 

First, we must have a dedicated pool of highly experienced local law enforcement 

officials; second, we need highly skilled leadership, and third, the financial resources 

that the Federal Government can provide. Niagara County is facing a shrinking 

budget once again in 2013. The recent elimination of the Buffalo-Niagara UASI 

group greatly diminishes the ability to protect our borders. We need to continue to 

plan, equip, and practice to protect our citizens. We also need to continue to improve 

inter-operable communications for our first responders and build fusion centers with 

our Canadian partners to share real-time intelligence. I fear that these financial 

cuts will quickly bring the Buffalo-Niagara region back into pre-9/11 times. 

Mr. Chairman, I applaud the committee for the work you have embarked on to 

protect our borders. Your support in Washington is greatly needed and appreciated 

by the Buffalo/Niagara region. I believe that if we work together, we will be able 

to uphold our oath to serve and protect and the Buffalo-Niagara group will be able 

to fulfill its mission statement. Thank you for the opportunity to address this committee. I will close with a quote from President Obama. 

‘‘We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the National 

security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian National security 

force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.’’ Mr. Chairman and 

Members of Congress, we are your civilian National security force. Thank you. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you, Sheriff, for your testimony. Thanks to 

each of our witnesses not only for your testimony, but for your 

service. We must be getting ready for a new form of testimony. Nobody knows what is going to come on that screen, huh? There is 

not something we are waiting for, is there, on the screen? Okay. 

Ms. HOCHUL. Live Olympics. 

[Laughter.] 
23 

Mr. MEEHAN. Yeah, this is a swimming—yeah. Well, thank you 

for your testimony, and thank you again, as I said, for your service 

to our country. 

I will now recognize myself for 5 minutes of questioning. 

Ms. Meyers, I appreciate the work that you have done, a lot of 

the work that has been trend-setting in Beyond the Borders. We 

enjoy a special relationship with our neighbors from Canada, and 

one which has been steeped in a long tradition of friendship and 

cooperation. But, of course, we have both realized the threats to 

our homelands and the unique relationship that Canada shares in 

the form of its ties back to Europe and other places. As was testified by the sheriff, it has become, Toronto in particular, a location 

of which there has been a significant amount of people from around 

the world who have traveled to Canada for a variety of reasons, but 

not the least of which is, you know, hoping for a better life. 

In the work that you have done in Beyond the Borders, can you 

tell me what has happened in the form of increasing the ability for 

us to share intelligence information about threats that could emanate from either side, but more often we believe it is likely to emanate from somebody who is using Canada as a method to try to 

gain entrance into the United States? 

So what has been done to enhance that? What are the barriers 

to continuing or increased communication or information sharing, 

intelligence sharing in our relationship? 

Ms. MEYERS. Chairman Meehan, thank you for that question. As 

you noted in your opening remarks, one of the elements of the Beyond the Border initiative is working together within, at, and away 

from our borders to address threats in the earliest way possible. 

This is where information sharing is absolutely critical. As Prime 

Minister Harper noted, a threat to one country is a threat to both 

countries. 

So there are a number of specific items in the Beyond the Border 

Action Plan that address this, including working together to develop a shared understanding of the threat, working together on 

joint threat and risk assessments, collaborating to enhance awareness, and working together to understand each other’s legal systems so that we can be sure that we can share the information that 

is necessary, that is accurate and timely. Thank you. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Could you talk a little bit about that, because that 

is one of the issues. Is there any unique concerns with regard to 

privacy or access to information that serves as a barrier to effective 

intelligence sharing with our friends and colleagues in Canada? 

Ms. MEYERS. There is actually, sir, a very robust relationship between intelligence communities in both countries and the law enforcement officials in both countries as we have heard today. So 

that collaboration is on-going. 

It is not an accident that one of the earliest deliverables in the 

Beyond the Border Action Plan was the joint statement on privacy 

principles to ensure that everyone understood that we take seriously the commitment to privacy that each country has, and to be 

very explicit about our commitment to ensure that there is a specific purpose for the information sharing, that that information is 

accurate, that it is timely, that it is used only by those who have 

a need to know, and that there is transparency and oversight of 
24 

that process, and that there is redress during the process. So that 

is absolutely critical, and it will inform all the information-sharing 

networks. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you. Let me ask both the commissioner and 

the sheriff, from your experience from a local perspective. I had the 

good fortune prior to this point in time in service to have been appointed as a United States attorney and served with my good 

friends, Mike Battle and Terry Flynn. I know that the same position is in good hands here now in Buffalo, New York. But it was 

during a period of time in which we were dealing with the threat 

of terrorism. 

One of the big inroads that was made was the creation of the 

Joint Terrorist Task Forces. So now you are in a unique circumstance. We often have enough difficulty where I am from just 

making sure New York, and New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and 

Delaware are communicating effectively enough across State borders. 

Are you able to include within your network sufficiently your 

partners from Canada? I know that there has been some cooperation with the Coast Guard and the Canadian folks with controlling 

some of those. But are there impediments or opportunities with regard to real participation on both sides of the borders, either our 

folks in Canada or Canadian colleagues working with us here in 

the United States? Commissioner or Sheriff, if you would like to 

answer that first? Commissioner Neaverth. 

Mr. NEAVERTH. I can tell you that the collaborative efforts, and 

I tried to address it in my opening comments, that the collaborative 

efforts on the grass roots are just really with the sheriff and myself 

as well as our partners over on the Canadian side. We collaborate 

with them. We have tremendous collaborative efforts with our Federal partners here in the BEN region. We continue to have discussions, local discussions in several different subcommittees. We 

work very closely with the port security. So it is a matter of reaching out and having those ties. 

I cannot stress enough how important it is when something 

major happens or is about to happen, that information sharing. 

There is the technical aspect of that, but there is the human aspect, too. To me, as an emergency manager, the most valuable aspect are the relationships that have been formed, at least at the 

grass-roots level, in our Federal delegation. 

I use as an example, when the sheriff came in this morning, I 

am not meeting the sheriff of Niagara County for the first time. We 

have been deployed to many things, and we have been to many 

conferences together. We have worked collaboratively through the 

BEN region. There are some of our Federal partners that are sitting here in the audience today, as well as our Canadian partners. 

So I think when you talk about intelligence and information 

sharing, what we have managed to do here is to pull together, not 

only Erie County and Niagara County, and the Canadian region as 

far as these collaborative efforts, but we have also pulled in all of 

our Federal partners. We include the 10-county region of the western district. So you could pull in an emergency manager from any 

one of the 10 counties, or even first responders, or sheriffs deputies 
25 

from those counties, and people are on a first-name basis with one 

another. 

I think that is the critical aspect when it comes to intelligence 

and information sharing is those one-on-one relationships. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you. Sheriff, do you have some thoughts? 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. Mr. Chairman, what I have seen in the past 

20 years, and the problem is, probably within the last 5 or 6 years 

with our assignment to the Joint Task Force here in Buffalo is the 

cooperation between local and Federal. Just here at the FBI office 

just a couple of blocks from here, they have made just tremendous 

strides to bring all of us as partners that the commissioner talked 

about into one room on at least a quarterly basis. They have vetted 

all those partners. 

Most of us all have received our top secret clearance, which allows us to really get a good handle on the western area of Canada. 

I think that has probably been the most promising thing that we 

have had in the past couple of months is the ability to get those 

people vetted, bring them all to the table, and share that information. Canadian partners are at the table with us. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Sheriff, my time has expired, but I do have one 

question with regard to that. Do you have full, active members on 

the Joint Terrorism Task Force from Canada? 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. I am not sure if we do from Canada. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Okay. 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. I know that most of it is the American side. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Okay. 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. I am not sure. Commissioner, do you know for 

sure? 

Mr. NEAVERTH. No. That was not included in the comments from 

the investigator from the State police. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Right. 

Mr. NEAVERTH. I could not answer that. 

Mr. MEEHAN. I do not know that we do, and that was one of the 

questions I would have whether there is some particular way for 

us to enhance the activity by finding a way to include that, because 

I think it would only enhance the ability to be better prepared. But 

I am sure there are issues, and we may revisit that with some subsequent questions. 

But at this point in time, my time has expired. I turn the questions over to my colleague from New York, Mr. Higgins. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Before I question the 

witnesses, I would ask for unanimous consent to submit comments 

from the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority for the 

record. 

Mr. MEEHAN. So ordered. 

[The information follows:] 

LETTERS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD BY HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

BORDER TRADE ALLIANCE SUPPORTS PRE-PROCESSING PILOT AT BUFFALO PEACE

BRIDGE

Issue.—The Peace Bridge spans the Niagara River and links Buffalo, NY and Ft. 

Erie, Ontario. The bridge is one of four toll crossings linking western New York with 

southern Ontario, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in North America. 

The Peace Bridge is the busiest automobile crossing between Canada and the 

United States and the third-busiest commercial crossing, with approximately 1.3 
26 

million trucks traversing the bridge annually. While Canada has made significant 

infrastructure improvements to facilitate the movement of people and commerce into 

Canada, the U.S. customs plaza remains a 60-year-old antiquated, constrained facility with not enough primary inspection booths to efficiently service the current traffic volumes. The plaza resides adjacent to an urban neighborhood and Olmsted-designed park. The Environmental Impact Statement process to expand the plaza is 

now in year 10 with no end in sight. 

Pre-clearance not an option.—To address the geographic constraints in Buffalo, in 

the mid-2000s the concept of Customs pre-clearance was explored as an option to 

relieve the congestion at the bridge as well as to increase the security of this valuable element of bi-national infrastructure. 

The concept centered on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers located on Canadian soil performing all their inspection and enforcement activities of 

U.S.-bound traffic in Canada before the conveyance or auto reached the Peace 

Bridge. In 2007, confirmed in 2009, this concept was rejected as it would have resulted in a lower level of security than at other U.S. ports of entry or required Canada to accept actions contrary to its Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 

As recently as a February 2011 Capitol Hill hearing, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said: 

‘‘We have looked into preclearance on the Canadian side. We cannot do it: The position has not changed . . . We understand the importance of the span for trade and 

tourism and so forth. But we are not going to be able to resolve the preclearance 

issues in Canada.’’ 

Pre-processing: A simple, elegant solution.—In early February 2011 President 

Obama and Minister Harper signed a joint declaration entitled ‘‘Beyond the Border—A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness’’ which 

included the following statements: 

‘‘We intend to pursue creative and effective solutions to manage the flow of traffic 

between the United States and Canada. We will focus investment in modern infrastructure and technology at our busiest land ports of entry, which are essential to 

our economic well-being. 

‘‘We will strive to ensure that our border crossings have the capacity to support the 

volume of commercial and passenger traffic inherent to economic growth and job 

creation on both sides of the border.’’ 

The Border Trade Alliance (BTA) supports the statements by Canada and the 

United States that preclearance is not possible. However, both countries should implement a creative, innovative model that respects Canadian sovereignty and provides for U.S. security needs by establishing a commercial-only pre-processing facility in Canada. 

Under this model, the Peace Bridge Authority would build a CBP commercial facility in Canada that would consist of primary inspection booths, offices, and parking. Primary processing would be conducted in Canada, with a ‘‘go’’ or ‘‘no-go’’ message sent ahead to the enforcement/release booth in the United States based on the 

outcome of the preliminary inspection. More than 90% of commercial shipments are 

released based on the primary inspection. If the CBP officer determines more intensive inspection is required, that inspection and any associated enforcement would 

be carried out in the United States. The driver would not know whether a ‘‘go’’ or 

‘‘no-go’’ determination was made at the time of the initial inspection. 

Benefits: 

• Facility would be paid for by the Peace Bridge Authority. 

• Would result in a 72% increase in throughput capacity. 

• CBP officers in the United States would know what was coming. 

• Smaller, less expensive plaza in the United States and better integration with 

neighborhood. 

• Greater security as space created for additional non-intrusive inspection facilities. 

BTA position.—The Border Trade Alliance supports the Peace Bridge Authority’s 

pre-processing concept and urges DHS/CBP and CBSA to carry out a demonstration 

project at the bridge. 

The BTA has consistently called for pushing enforcement away from the border 

when possible and for seeking opportunities to leverage creative thinking to relieve 

congestion and speed the flow of legitimate trade and travel. 

The pre-processing pilot could serve as a model for other Northern Border ports 

of entry where appropriate to meet the demands of increasing cross-border trade 

and travel. 
27 

JULY 30, 2012. 

U.S. House of Representatives, 

Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, H2–176 Ford House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. 

RE: Field Hearing—Beyond Borders—Are the Department of Homeland Security’s 

International Agreements Ensuring Actionable Intelligence to Combat Threats to 

the U.S. Homeland? 

DEAR CHAIRMAN MEEHAN AND RANKING MEMBER HIGGINS: These comments are 

filed on behalf of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (PBA), an international compact entity operating between the U.S. and Canada, which has owned 

and managed the Peace Bridge since 1933. First opening to traffic in 1927, the 

bridge traverses the Niagara River between Fort Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, New 

York, and is a key international border crossing. The span also serves as the busiest 

Northern Border crossing for automobiles and third-busiest for commercial carriers, 

with 6,056,998 total vehicles utilizing the corridor in 2011. 

The subcommittee’s July 30, 2012, field hearing provides the perfect opportunity 

to address progress with many of the key deliverables of the U.S.-Canada Beyond 

the Border Accord—A Shared Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness, which was signed this past year between President Barack Obama and 

Prime Minister Stephen Harper. 

Several specific components of the accord are of great interest to Western New 

York and the PBA, including: • Increased promotion and implementation of the NEXUS and FAST trusted traveler programs to ensure continued growth and greater reliability in border 

movements for individuals and commercial shipments. • Potential pilot projects regarding the pre-inspection of U.S.-bound commercial 

vehicles at certain border crossings, including the Peace Bridge corridor. 

Trusted Travel Promotion 

With over 88,000 NEXUS cardholders residing in the Western New York and Niagara regions, the use and popularity of this trusted traveler program is paramount 

to local security and economic prosperity. Roughly 16% of total traffic at the Peace 

Bridge utilizes NEXUS lanes. As part of the Beyond the Border Accord, a commitment was made by the U.S. and Canadian governments to better market and promote the program, in order to increase these NEXUS usage and enrollment figures 

even further. 

While a strong ‘‘sweat equity’’ push (entitled NEXUS Niagara) has been put on 

this year between the PBA, the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, Canada Border 

Services Agency, and CBP (to help grow and publicize the program), no Federal 

funding commitments have yet been made to buttress such efforts. Therefore to fully 

harness the true time-savings and congestion reduction features of NEXUS and 

other trusted travel programs, it is critical that the U.S. and Canadian governments 

allocate actual dollars—in the near-term—to market the programs to new potential 

members in Buffalo Niagara and across both countries. 

For more information on the NEXUS Niagara trusted traveler campaign visit 

http://www.n6xusnlagara.com. 

Pre-Inspection U.S.-Bound Commercial Vehicles 

Beginning in late 2009, the PBA began working with local Members of Congress 

and their counterparts in government at the Department of Homeland Security to 

examine creative ways to ease chronic vehicle processing delays at the Peace Bridge, 

which are caused by a number of factors such as limited U.S. Customs plaza geography and antiquated facilities. 

The Peace Bridge connects the densely populated city of Buffalo’s west side with 

the more sparsely-populated town of Fort Erie. As a result, substantial property is 

available adjacent to the Canadian port-of-entry, as opposed to its American counterpart. Such property could feasibly accommodate new booth infrastructure and innovative techniques to pre-inspect or pre-process U.S.-bound commercial shipments. 

This approach would potentially free up much-needed space within the U.S. plaza 

area, and allow for increased automobile and commercial vehicle throughput, 

streamlined traffic patterns, and a more secure port parameter. 

According to Nelson Balido, President of the Border Trade Alliance (BTA), preinspection at the Peace Bridge is worthy of immediate consideration through the Beyond the Border Accord because available land is already owned by the PBA, the 

concept offers serious congestion relief, and the sovereignty of both nations would 

be protected by retaining U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) ability to conduct actual ‘‘enforcement’’ activities on U.S. soil. A copy of the BTA’s endorsement 

letter is attached for reference. 
28 

The Department of Homeland Security is slated to announce the selection of one 

or several pre-inspection pilot port locations later this year. In doing so, it is critical 

that DHS focus on those crossings that are most important to the U.S.-Canadian 

trade and security relationship, from both a vehicle volume and port applicability 

perspective. This decision should not be postponed, as rampant delays and infrastructure inefficiencies continue to cost the North American economy millions of dollars each and every year. 

The PBA appreciates this opportunity to offer written comments to the House 

Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence regarding 

the Beyond the Border Accord, trusted travel promotional needs, and the implementation of innovative border management techniques—such as the pre-inspection of 

commercial vehicles at the Peace Bridge—as means to improve the safety and efficiency of one North America’s busiest border crossings. 

Sincerely, 

SAM HOYT, 

Chairman, Board of Directors, Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Mrs. Meyers, you stated in your testimony that 

earlier this month, Customs and Border Protection and the Canada 

Border Service Agency announced the installation of new and advanced sense technology, both for the Peace Bridge and the 

Queenston-Lewiston Bridges. 

You also stated that later this year, the Department of Homeland 

Security will be implementing an entry-exit pilot project at 2 to 4 

land ports of entry, such that a record of entry in one country could 

be considered a record of exit from another. 

As you know, the Peace Bridge is the second-busiest land border 

crossing in the United States. How feasible would it be for the 

entry-exit pilot program to be implemented at the Peace Bridge? 

Ms. MEYERS. Thank you for the question, Congressman Higgins. 

I know that the officials at CBD and CBSA are evaluating where 

to begin the pilot for the entry-exit. I know that no decisions have 

been made at this time. They are looking at all sorts of border 

crossing data and operational issues, technological issues. But certainly there are a number of locations that are under consideration 

for all the pilot programs. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Thank you. For the sheriff and the commissioner, 

you mentioned in your testimony the importance of the Urban Area 

Security Initiative Program. The hard thing about this is that, you 

know, we did not ask to be put on this list. We were put on the 

list, as the commissioner had stated previously, because of critical 

infrastructure and because of risk and threat. 

The sheriff also mentioned the Niagara Power Project, a high-impact target for terrorists. Toronto, an international city, a high-impact target for terrorists. Niagara Falls, a destination for visitors 

from all over the world, some 7 million each year, a high-impact 

target for terrorists. Obviously the second-busiest Northern Border 

crossing between the United States and Canada, a high target for 

terrorist activity. 

We also have a history, as has been mentioned here previously, 

with the Lackawanna Six, a terrorist cell, not far from here in Buffalo in the city of Lackawanna. 

So I would like for both of you to talk about the importance of 

the program again, but also the consequence of not having it. 

Mr. NEAVERTH. I will start with the consequence of the de-funding of UASI. We are still receiving and still have the opportunity 

to submit for other forms of grants to sustain. We are currently 

non-sustaining. 
29 

I think the big issue with regards to the application and being 

de-funded as to UASI is the broad stroke removal versus the broad 

stroke of funding, a lump sum. When we prepare our budgets for 

any of the grants, you have to be very specific as to what you are 

spending your money, what the initiatives are, and whether or not 

they are meeting the justifications. You are funded based on that. 

So each year, your investment justification should be flexible. It 

should be based on this year you are purchasing equipment for 

training, and we are doing calibrating, that that should be the particular set of funding. But for some of the UASIs to have a consistent level of funding that does not fluctuate and does not appear 

to really have any investment justification other than here is your 

funding, I think that is where we run into an issue. 

So if it was a level playing field that was addressing what the 

true threats are, we do not need to purchase a million dollars’ 

worth of response vehicles every year, but we do need to maintain 

those vehicles. We do need to maintain calibration. We do need to 

maintain the personnel to be able to do that response. That is from 

a law enforcement, fire, as well as the EMS side of things. 

So I guess if you take a blanket budget and you write a blank 

check and there would appear from the smaller UASIs to be no 

real—if I did the $50 million this year and I the $50 million last 

year, where was the substance of your grant application that said 

you should be at that level? You may very well be at $60 million, but with today’s economic 

situation, people might just be happy to remain on that list and not 

make any waves about that. 

So I think what does not change is the personnel. What does not 

change is the need to calibrate and maintain all of the equipment 

and operate the training. But there should be some type of justification. 

So if you take next year $5 million, $6 million away those areas 

and you reinvest that into some of the unfunded UASIs for subsequent years based on those investment justifications, we can all 

feel the pain, but we can all maintain that high level that we currently are at, but risk losing by not maintaining our equipment and 

our personnel. 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. Commissioner, you hit it right on the head 

about the accountability of the UASI funding. We are known Nation-wide for accountability and the IJs that we have in the Buffalo-Niagara region. We are called sort of the model child to really 

come up with plans, spend appropriately, and only spending what 

we absolutely need. 

It would certainly be devastating to us, as the commissioner said, 

if we went from several million dollars down to zero. With the investments that we have made and infrastructure protection, it 

would really be difficult for us to maintain that further. 

Mr. Chairman, if I may, something I thought of prior to your last 

question is, the FBI assigns a lead in Ottawa Canada, and that is 

a primary contact for the JTTF here in the Buffalo region to reach 

out to them pertaining to communications. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Thank you. No further questions. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Okay. The Chairman now recognizes the gentle 

lady from New York, Ms. Hochul, for her questioning. 
30 

Ms. HOCHUL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ms. Meyers, I wanted 

to ask you, what are the primary regulatory or logistical hurdles 

to cross-border trade that you see right now, and what more can 

Congress be doing to obliterate those? Because as everyone has testified today and spoken about, we have to eliminate those barriers 

so we can help our local economy prosper. What can Congress be 

doing to help? 

Ms. MEYERS. Absolutely. Thank you, ma’am, for your question. 

Expediting the trade and travel is a significant priority obviously 

for the administration at large. I would note to you that one initiative that was announced at the same time as the Beyond the Border effort was the U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council. 

That is specifically focused on eliminating those regulatory barriers. 

Also they are developing an action plan and seeking stakeholder 

input. I think that we all understand that reducing barriers so that 

we can expedite trade between the large export market that we 

have and ensuring that we protect our trade and travel from economic disruptions is absolutely critical. 

So the combined elements of Beyond the Borders, such as improving infrastructure and getting more people into trade programs, combined with the efforts of the Regulatory Cooperation 

Council to raise barriers, such as health, safety, transportation, 

and the environment, combined I think can make a significant difference. 

Ms. HOCHUL. Thank you. Do you believe that the closure of the 

Canadian consulate here in Buffalo will have any impact on the 

implementation of the Beyond the Border initiative? 

Ms. MEYERS. I certainly would hope not. I think it is unfortunate 

both our governments, both the Canadian government and the 

United States, are facing difficult financial times and a more austere budget environment. I did notice that the consulate, I know 

that it over the years has been a significant contributor in this 

area. But I think that the decision of the Canadian government, 

and we know that the Canadian government overall is extremely 

committed, highly committed, to the implementation of the Beyond 

the Border initiative by its operating agencies. 

Ms. HOCHUL. Thank you very much. Sheriff Voutour, there is 

talk of plans to consolidate Customs and Border Protection on the 

campus of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. Are you familiar 

with that, and what are your thoughts on how that would work to 

help coordinate our local law enforcement and our partnerships 

with the Federal Government? 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. I think it would be a tremendous asset, and 

that goes two ways. Not only to get that headquarters there so that 

we could possibly be a part of it as well, and have that collaborative effort, but it also, as you know quite well, Congresswoman, 

it is going to help keep that base which is critical to the economic 

impact here in Niagara County and western New York region as 

our largest employer. 

I think it is a fantastic idea. I certainly support it, and I hope 

we can see that happen very soon. 
31 

Ms. HOCHUL. Thank you. You mentioned the Niagara Power Authority, a great concern to many of us. How prepared are we to 

handle any threat that came to that facility? 

Sheriff VOUTOUR. We train on an annual basis with the Power 

Authority. We have action plans in place. Much of our action plan 

is confidential material. I feel that we are very prepared. 

But we also are very cognizant of what can happen in the event 

of a threat there, particularly at the reservoir, and the damage that 

can be done not only to the Niagara area, but also from west and 

north area. 

Ms. HOCHUL. Thank you. I just wanted to also reiterate my support for having the pre-clearance opportunity, the pre-screening opportunity occur here in western New York. I cannot think of any 

more compelling argument that can be made that with the four 

border crossings to at least initiate this here in western New York 

at the Peace Bridge initially, and hopefully to Lewiston-Queenston 

shortly thereafter. I hope we can convey that message very strongly 

to the Department of Homeland Security. 

There is united support for that here. It has got to happen. As 

a former county clerk who was in my position when the Western 

Hemisphere Travel Initiative came into being, I saw what happened when people just stopped crossing the border. The casual 

visitors stopped going until we were able to get the enhanced licenses, the passport cards out there. So much more needs to be 

done because there has been an impact ever since that law went 

into effect. 

Well-intended, but we are the ones who are collateral damage in 

a sense, and we want to make sure that we keep that flow of commerce going, not just for the commercial activity, but the individuals. So we look forward to the Department’s full cooperation on 

that as well. 

I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Hochul, for your questioning. I know that I just have a couple of follow-up questions that 

I wanted to ask, and I know the Ranking Member has a question 

that he wanted to ask. You may have a follow-up if you do. 

But, Ms. Meyers, one of the issues that we have been struggling 

with in the United States are people who enter our borders and do 

so legally under some kind of a visa. They maintain a period of 

time where they are here for educational or some kind of specific 

work-related. But then they overstay their visas. We have very little accountability with regards to not only where they are in the 

country, but we do very little to identify whether or not they have 

actually left the country in some capacity. 

Can you speak to what is being discussed here? I think that 

there are some proposals that may look at the idea of sharing information across borders so that at least when there is entry into 

Canada from somebody who is here on a visa overstay, it begins 

to be communicated back to us to help us close some of that information gap. 

Ms. MEYERS. Absolutely, Chairman Meehan. This is a terrific example of a way in which the Department can best achieve its goals 

and our mandate through collaboration with our community partners. 
32 

As you noted, there is a mandate to do exit, and no one had built 

a significant infrastructure to capture outbound exit the same that 

they have to screen individuals that come into the United States. 

So by collaborating with Canada, what we hope through this pilot 

project to be able to do is that a departure from the United States 

will be reported by receiving the entry data from Canada once the 

individual has entered Canada. That way we will then be able to 

close out that record and have a much better understanding of 

who, in fact, is in the country and who has left, and can then track 

overstays as security threats as appropriate. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Thank you. Just one other question to the extent 

that you are able or comfortable speaking about this. We have 

spent a great deal of time on the committee looking at a couple of 

issues. One has been the growing presence of Hezbollah, not just 

in the Middle East, but as we have tracked it throughout South 

America and other kinds of places. We as a Nation for the first 

time saw activity carried out on the Mexican border in which there 

were attempts for the Quds forces to utilize in collaboration with 

some other, you know, the drug gangs to carry out an act of terrorism here in the United States. So we have seen activity in border countries that has then led to potential terrorism. 

I also noted that we are tracking a group within Nigeria called 

Boko Haram. The question as to whether or not they will be identified as a foreign terrorist organization is one that is before the Department of State, but they have significantly increased their terrorist-related activity within Nigeria. About half of the Nigerians 

in Canada that are here are in Toronto, and there is a concern 

about whether there would be any relationship back to Boko 

Haram. 

Are you aware of or comfortable with any information sharing 

that is done to allow us to be aware of any potential threats from 

either Boko Haram or Hezbollah that may be situated in Canada, 

but looking towards the United States? 

Ms. MEYERS. Sir, that is a subject outside of the scope of my position. I would be very happy to arrange a briefing for you or your 

staff with the principle deputy terrorism coordinator for Homeland 

Security. 

What I can tell you is that the enhanced information sharing 

that has already been undertaken by the Beyond the Border initiative will help us to make strides in this and help secure our country. We share a responsibility. United States and Canada share a 

responsibility for the safety, and security, and resilience of our 2 

countries in a world in which we are increasingly integrated under 

evolving threats. 

So certainly we will support that effort, and I would be happy to 

follow up after. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Well, thank you so much. I just wanted to get your 

perspective here from the local. Let me turn it to my colleague, Mr. 

Higgins, for any concluding questions he may have. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Yeah, just one. Ms. Meyers, on the Department of 

Homeland Security pre-inspection pilot project, I do not mean to 

push this. Well, actually I do. 

[Laughter.] 
33 

Mr. HIGGINS. But it seems to me that, you know, you had indicated that Customs and Border Protection and the Canadian Border Service Agency installed new information technology equipment. How many Northern Border crossings? Do you have the 

number? 

Ms. MEYERS. There are 120 northern borders. In terms of the 

technology that was just recently announced in July, it was installed at 2, Peace Bridge and Queenston-Lewiston, to measure 

border wait times. 

Mr. HIGGINS. That is it? 

Ms. MEYERS. Initially. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Just the 2? Okay. Is that technology necessary to 

facilitate a pre-inspection program, or is that something separate? 

Ms. MEYERS. This is a different initiative, Congressman Higgins. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Right. 

Ms. MEYERS. To start to pilot technology that would allow us to 

better measure wait times, and then relay that information to the 

travelers. So that is one initiative that is being worked with the 

Department of Transportation. 

In fact, one of the elements of the Beyond the Border initiative 

that is very unique is that it is very much an interagency effort 

with the Department of Homeland Security partnering with the 

Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture, the 

Department of Justice, Department of State, to advance these initiatives. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Why was the Peace Bridge selected 1 of 2 out of 

over 100? 

Ms. MEYERS. I would have to get back to you on that, sir. 

Mr. HIGGINS. Okay, all right. Thank you. 

Mr. MEEHAN. Well, thank you, Ranking Member Higgins. I 

would like to thank the witnesses today for their testimony, which 

has been helpful to us in both understanding the unique relationship or the unique challenges that exist in this border that we 

share with our good friends from Canada, but also an example of 

a challenge that exists across the extensive border that we share 

from ocean to ocean. 

Is there any concluding comment that any of you would like to 

make with regards to the issues that we raised today for the 

record? 

You do not have to. I am just giving you that opportunity. It is 

a unique opportunity. We do not generally do that, but I wanted 

to give you the chance to do it. 

I want to thank the witnesses for their valuable testimony and 

Members for their questions. 

The Members of the committee may have some additional questions for the witnesses, and if, in fact, that happens, we would ask 

that you would try to be responsive to them generally. That would 

be done within writing within about 10 days. 

I thank you for your service. I thank you for your attention to 

the security of our Nation. I know that all of us feel safer with people like yourselves who have devoted themselves to the safety and 

security of our citizens. 
34 

So without objection, the committee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:05 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

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