WASHINGTON – Today US Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) sent a letter to the Secretary of the Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, asking him to set a time frame for the lifting of COVID-related travel restrictions for non-travelers to establish essential traffic through land entry ports (LPOEs).
They wrote, “Given the significant strides the United States has made in distributing COVID-19 vaccines, we urge DHS to commit to a plan, benchmarks and timeline to address the restrictions on the non-essential To suspend traffic through LPOEs. “
“We appreciate the hard work DHS has done to protect the health and safety of Americans during these challenging times. We continue to work to ensure that DHS and Customs and Border Protection have the necessary resources to secure our borders and protect the health of the public, as well as the Ministry’s staff and officials. “
The letter was joined by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and representatives Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), Michael McCaul (TX-10) and Vicente Gonzalez (TX-). 15) and Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02).
The full text of the letter is Here and under. Sens. Cornyn and Sinema sent a similar letter last year that you can find Here.
May 28, 2021
Hon. Alejandro Mayorkas
Minister of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE
Washington, DC 20528-0525
Dear Secretary Mayorkas:
With continued success in containing the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, we are writing to inquire about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans on travel restrictions in U.S. ports of entry (LPOEs). Non-material travel restrictions have been in place since March 2020, and the border communities in our states want DHS to communicate and work with local stakeholders on a return to normal operation plan.
Since the DHS first restricted non-material cross-border travel on LPOEs, these restrictions have been renewed monthly for the past 15 months. On October 1, 2020, we asked then Secretary Chad Wolf to develop and publicly formulate a detailed plan, including benchmarks for resuming operations for the LPOEs. We have not yet received a reply to this letter. Given the significant progress the United States has made in distributing COVID-19 vaccines, we urge DHS to commit to a plan, benchmarks, and timeline to lift non-essential traffic restrictions from LPOEs .
We appreciate the hard work DHS has done to protect the health and safety of Americans during these challenging times. We continue to work to ensure that DHS and Customs and Border Protection have the necessary resources to secure our borders and protect the health of the public, as well as the Ministry’s staff and officials. We look forward to continuing to work with you as we adapt to changing conditions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
With best regards,
/ s /
