Homeland Security & Public Safety
With a district bordering Canada, Brian is a recognized leader on matters related to the US-Canadian relationship. In his roles as Co-chair of the Northern Border Caucus, Co-chair of Canada-US Inter-Parliamentary Group, and a member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, Brian seeks out opportunities to build our binational relationship, fighting for adequate staffing and systems to allow for the efficient flow of goods and people across the border.
Brian works to build safer neighborhoods through his support of the federal fire grant program, the Justice in Policing Act and common sense legislation to reduce gun violence including universal background checks.
More on Homeland Security & Public Safety
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) is responding to multiple reports confirmed by the Canadian government that the White House is making plans to send 1,000 U.S. troops to the border between the U.S. and Canada.
Higgins, who serves as Co-Chair of the House of Representatives Northern Border Caucus, released the following in response:
“Western New Yorkers today rightly protested the Trump Administration’s appalling treatment of innocent children and families desperately fleeing conflict and danger. Last week I opposed border legislation because it lacked appropriate safeguarding for the children and families who are victims of this administration’s repugnant policies. This treatment – including inhumane conditions and the shameful separation of children from their parents – does not represent who we are and what we stand for as Americans.”
“The distressing photos and accounts from within child detention facilities and at sites along the Rio Grande River and elsewhere at the border serve to underscore the wrong-headed and inhumane nature of this Administration’s policies toward asylum seekers and immigrants in general. This attitude is craven and goes against our values as a nation – something I called out this week at a House Budget Committee hearing.
In remarks during a House Budget Committee hearing titled “Building A More Dynamic Economy: The Benefits of Immigration,” Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) said, “I think one of the things that we’ve lost in this country is our national story; because it’s an exodus story. For more than 250 years people fled persecution from all over the world. They crossed seas and deserts to the freedom found in the promised land.”
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced that the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, which he’s a cosponsor of, by a vote of 237-187. The bill takes several steps to protect Dreamers, those who were brought to the US as children of undocumented immigrants, and those with either Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) announced that the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, which he’s a cosponsor of, by a vote of 237-187. The bill takes several steps to protect Dreamers, those who were brought to the US as children of undocumented immigrants, and those with either Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).
“Today the Federal Aviation Administration announced tower closings at 149 airports across the United States. Thankfully the Niagara Falls International Airport, which was previously on the list, is not among them. While the tower has been spared from closure, our community is still suffering the impacts of sequestration, and threats to flight safety still exist.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) called an American Society of Civil Engineer’s analysis on the state of roads, bridges, and sewers in America as further evidence of the critical need for a serious investment in America’s infrastructure. On Tuesday, March 19 the ASCE released their 2013 “Report Card” giving America a “D+” grade.
On the fourth anniversary of the crash of Continental Flight 3407, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26), Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Congressman Tom Reed (NY-23), and Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) are urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to continue to make implementation of airline safety reforms a top priority. Specifically, the Members ask for timely implementation of provisions on pilot qualifications and crewmember training – regulations that are both long overdue and that would remedy one of the most serious errors contributing to the Flight 3407 crash.