Lawmakers demand transparency from Homeland Security on how new funding will be spent, urging investments in technology, agent support and oversight.

Organ Mountain News report

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) and a group of border-state Democrats are pressing the Department of Homeland Security for transparency in how it will use more than $150 billion recently allocated under H.R. 1.

In a Sept. 12 letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the lawmakers requested a meeting and outlined spending recommendations they said would promote public safety, efficiency and accountability. They called for investments in technology to counter cartels’ use of drones, better training and mental health support for agents, and safeguards to prevent waste and abuse.

“No one knows the border better than the Members who represent it and live in these communities,” Vasquez said in a statement. “DHS was just handed a massive blank check, and we owe it to American taxpayers to provide accountability and transparency.”

Other signatories echoed the call:

• Rep. Raul Ruiz of California said border communities “deserve real solutions that keep them safe and strengthen trust,” not a $150 billion “blank check.”
• Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan stressed that constituents need to know their money is being spent “effectively and efficiently.”
• Rep. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire said transparency is “essential to public trust” and vowed to push for justification of every dollar.

The lawmakers’ recommendations included:

• Expanding smart border technology such as surveillance towers, aerial systems, tunnel detection and counter-drone tools
• Targeting enforcement on serious criminals rather than mass deportations
• Improving staffing, training, communications and mental health services for Border Patrol agents
• Strengthening oversight at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including safeguards to prevent detention of U.S. citizens
• Ensuring detention facilities meet health and sanitation standards and provide access to due process
• Upgrading port-of-entry infrastructure, including scanning 100 percent of incoming cargo

The letter noted that some DHS agencies would see budgets nearly triple under the new law, heightening the need for public accountability.

Vasquez has previously introduced the Humane Accountability Act and played a lead role in the New Dem Immigration and Border Security Framework. He said both efforts reflect his push for border policy that balances safety with humane treatment.