Homeland chief inspects border

HOULTON – During his first inspection of Maine’s borders since taking office in February, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff praised the men and women who keep the state secure and speculated Wednesday that technology would play an even bigger role in safeguarding Maine in the future.

Chertoff was in Aroostook County for much of the day at the invitation of Sen. Susan Collins, who is chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Collins joined Chertoff on Tuesday as he toured the port of Portland and visited with some of Maine’s first responders at Portland’s Emergency Operations Center. After a brief meeting Wednesday with town officials and emergency management personnel in Presque Isle, the contingent toured the U.S.-Canadian border by helicopter. After landing, the group visited with customs and border protection officials at the Houlton port of entry.

Addressing the news media after the engagement, Collins expressed happiness with Chertoff’s presence in the state and said she had been eager for him to see some of Maine’s unique border issues.

“Our challenge is to make sure that our borders are tight and secure,” she said, “and make sure that legitimate travel and commerce do not face unreasonable obstacles as they cross.”

Chertoff agreed, noting that border security is on the minds of many Americans. At the port of entry, he praised a “competent border staff who have taken their own ingenuity and built a system of connected information sharing.”

“That is the kind of thinking and creativity that we need,” he said.

Chertoff added that his department planned to continue to use a combination of “technology and people” to create a “layer of defense” for the state.

“We will be looking to the next generation of technology to give us greater protection,” he continued, adding that sensors, checkpoints on Interstate 95, and other means of surveillance already play a key role in securing the state’s border with Canada.

Chertoff did not go into detail about what types of technology would be used or the cost involved, but said that officials would make sure that any infrastructure put into place would “fit with the needs of the people.”

He added that such improvements would have a positive effect on those who frequent Maine’s border crossings.

“The [border crossing] experience in the months ahead should be as efficient or more efficient,” Chertoff said Wednesday.

Collins said that while it is vital to keep the border secure, it also is important that people in neighboring communities who cross the border regularly not be saddled with unfair or burdensome regulations. She said she would work on legislation to give those residents special identification cards to ease their border crossings.