U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Barnes issued the following statement on Customs and Border Protection’s announcement that it will reassign agents from airports and other entry points to the U.S.-Mexico border:
“The administration rightly points out the importance of security, but we believe security priorities and economic priorities go hand in hand.
“In pursuing its objectives on the southern border, we urge the administration to keep other entry points appropriately staffed and effectively secured. Aside from concerns about migration and border security, it is an immutable fact: travel is trade, and the U.S. economy and jobs base enjoy many billions of dollars in beneficial impact from legitimate international business and leisure visitors to the United States.
“Immigration and visitation are two separate points on the policy spectrum, each important in its own right. The American travel community stands ready to work with the administration to advance policies that are beneficial to both security and prosperity.”