SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Tuesday, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reinstate the Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) Center of Excellence at Texas A&M University. The CBTS Center of Excellence at Texas A&M University, the only DHS Center of Excellence in Texas, assists state and federal agencies in protecting our borders, economy, and supply chains, though federal funding was halted in April by the Department of Homeland Security.
With new cases of the New World screwworm (NWS), a flesh-
eating parasite that hosts on cattle, livestock, and wildlife, being detected in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, just 70 miles from the Texas-Mexico border, Congressman Gonzales expressed the urgent need to reinstate the center as a resource to advance detection technologies, train personnel, and identify invasive pest pathways and risk areas before they disrupt U.S. supply chains, particularly as it relates to the New World screwworm.
Texas U.S. Representatives Monica De La Cruz (TX-15), Pete Sessions (TX-17), Michael McCaul (TX-10), Keith Self (TX-03), Jake Ellzey (TX-06), Nathaniel Moran (TX-01), Randy Weber (TX-14), Brian Babin (TX-36), John Carter (TX-31), August Pfluger (TX-11), and Morgan Luttrell (TX-08), signed on to support of Congressman Gonzales’ letter to the Department of Homeland Security.
“As members of the Texas congressional delegation, we respectfully urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reinstate the Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS) Center of Excellence at Texas A&M University. CBTS is in strategic proximity to an expansive portion of the southwest border and provides unique capabilities for innovation, training, and test and evaluation of border security technologies and methods. More importantly, the CBTS mission space encompasses naturally occurring and man-made biological threats—including the widespread outbreak of the re-emergent New World screwworm (NWS), flesh-eating larvae that are spreading northward through Mexico.
“CBTS is ready to equip DHS with research, training, and rapid-response capabilities essential to counter all-hazards border threats, including New World screwworm. We strongly urge DHS to promptly reinstate CBTS as an active Center of Excellence to ensure the nation remains prepared and resilient,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales in the letter to DHS.
“The Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense Center of Excellence at Texas A&M AgriLife has the expertise and tools to support DHS to keep our borders, economy, and food supply secure,” said Dr. Cliff Lamb, Director, AgriLife Research. “Reinstating the center ensures we are prepared to respond quickly to emerging threats like the New World Screwworm before they reach U.S. soil.”
To view the text of the letter, click here.
Each DHS Center of Excellence (COE) is led by a U.S. college or university in partnership with other academic institutions, industry, national laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, state, local, tribal, and territorial homeland security agencies, and first responder groups. By leveraging extensive public and private networks, COEs can conduct groundbreaking research resulting in rigorous, objective knowledge products and timely solutions for DHS Components.
The Centers of Excellence have existed since 2002, when Congress mandated their creation as part of the Homeland Security Act passed after 9/11.
