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A secure border is vital for commerce

Illegal flows have to stop to ensure healthy trade

By Janet Napolitano

U.S. secretary of Homeland Security

Just over a year ago, I left a job that I loved here in Arizona to continue my work on issues that are critical to the future of our country as secretary of Homeland Security. As any Arizonan will tell you, many of our nation's most pressing security issues can be found in the challenges along our southwestern border.

As we think about the future we want for our country over the next 10 years and beyond, there's no doubt that a secure border is critical to both our safety and our prosperity.

Our vision for the southwestern border has two components. First, we must stem the illegal flows of drugs, cash, weapons and people across our borders by relentlessly, systematically and strategically ensuring that all points along our interconnected border-security network remain strong.

At the same time, we must also focus on facilitating legal travel and commerce to keep the American economy prosperous and competitive in the 21st century.

To achieve both objectives, we must adopt new tools to confront violent criminal organizations operating along the southwestern border. Just this past week, I signed an agreement with Mexico to expand information sharing concerning transnational threats and to streamline legitimate travel and trade to promote economic growth.

Much of our recent success in combating border violence and drug cartels has come from close coordination with Mexico.

For example, recently, law enforcement working along the border between Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora started an innovative program to share information about cartels, allowing them to work collaboratively to catch cartel movement at ports of entry and interdict criminals in remote stretches along the border.

Cooperation among law enforcement in the United States has been critical to progress along the border as well. Over the past year, the Department of Homeland Security has partnered closely with state and local law enforcement, opening up new channels of communication to share information on threats so that officers on the ground have the tools and resources they need.

We have also made unprecedented investments in people, technology and infrastructure along the border.

We have implemented smart, new enforcement strategies, including southbound inspections of cross-border traffic to search for the illegal weapons that fuel cartel violence.

And we are upgrading old infrastructure to expedite legal travel and commerce at our ports of entry and implementing new, stronger re-entry requirements under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

We are already seeing results. The number of illegal entries into our country has declined sharply. And seizures of contraband at the border - drugs, cash and illegal weapons - have increased in every category.

Looking ahead, we will continue to build on this vision by finding new ways to work collaboratively to address international security threats while facilitating legal travel and commerce.

In today's world, keeping our nation safe requires the cooperation of everyone - from our partners around the world to the people of Arizona - who have a strong stake in the lasting safety and prosperity of the southwestern border and our country.

Janet Napolitano is U.S. secretary of Homeland Security. She also is a former governor of Arizona.