Airport Alert: Key Senators Introduce Bill to Increase CBP Officers

March 16, 2022 

Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chair Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) re-introduced Securing America's Ports of Entry Act of 2022 on March 16. This bill authorizes 600 new CBP officers annually until the agency reaches the staffing level called for in its workload staffing model. The agency's most recent workload staffing model, which used data from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, showed a shortage of nearly 1,000 CBP officers across the system, including at airports.  

Also, the bill would provide more transparency and accountability when the agency temporarily redeploys officers from their current duty assignments to cover other staffing shortages, generally along the Southwest border; requires additional reporting about the agency's reliance on reimbursable service agreements; and requires more information about CBP's infrastructure needs at its ports-of-entry.

This legislation is in response to issues AAAE, airports, and other groups have repeatedly raised with members of Congress and this Committee in particular over the past four years. Additional CBP officers are key to processing international arrivals quickly as travel returns more robustly and to address growing wait times that airports are already experiencing.

In a statement of support for the legislation, AAAE President and CEO Todd Hauptli said:

'AAAE and airport executives across the country are grateful to Chair Peters and Senator Cornyn for reintroducing the Securing America's Ports of Entry Act. Passage of this important legislation is needed urgently to help ensure that our nation's gateway airports “ many of which are seeing international travel at pre-pandemic levels “ have sufficient CBP officers to process passengers safely and securely without lengthy delays. The need for additional CBP staffing resources at airports will only become increasingly urgent as more and more international travelers return to the skies. Long lines and overtaxed CBP personnel are not the way to welcome visitors back to the United States.' 

Tory Richardson, President and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority and AAAE Second Past Chair, highlighted the need for additional CBP officers both at his airport and other underserved markets: 

'To continue supporting the growth of our West Michigan community, we need Customs and Border Protection Officers committed to a new Federal Inspection Station at the airport to process international travelers. Since 2019, we have completed Phase 1 of our Federal Inspection Station and have an airline interested in providing nonstop international service. By equipping our Airport with additional CBP staffing we could realize an additional regional economic impact of $136 million per year by international travelers. We commend Senators Peters and Cornyn for leading the charge in providing a solution to the Customs and Border Protection staffing shortage. This bipartisan legislation will alleviate the strain on regional Airports and strengthen the transportation sector by expanding air travel to underserved markets.'

This bill was originally introduced in 2019 but was not enacted into law.