Today, the United States House of Representatives passed the Subterranean Border Defense Act—legislation reintroduced by Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) and Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA).

As Transnational Criminal Organizations continue to grow in both size and sophistication, illicit cross-border tunnels along the southwest border of the United States represent a significant and growing threat to national security.

Since 1990, officials have discovered more than 140 tunnels that have breached the U.S. border, with an 80% increase in tunnel activity occurring since 2008.

Furthermore, President Trump’s successful efforts to halt illegal border crossings place a greater emphasis on vulnerabilities in our defense system. With the President terminating open-border policies, our adversaries will undoubtedly resort to alternative methods to infiltrate our homeland.

The Subterranean Border Defense Act would strengthen border security by boosting Congressional oversight of illicit cross-border tunnel operations.

Put simply, this legislation would help ensure that Congress has the necessary data to forge another much-needed layer of defense.

“Passage of this bill is a massive win for our security. With border crossings thankfully going down since January, it’s safe to assume this will drive threats underneath our border through these tunnels. This legislation will ensure Congress has sufficient knowledge and oversight in regard to this dynamic threat,” said Rep. Crane. “Effective border security is created by overlapping deterrents, and I’m grateful to Chairman Green, Rep. Correa, and my colleagues for supporting this bill.”