The U.S. Coast Guard has announced immediate actions to implement executive orders issued by the White House on Jan. 21. Coast Guard’s acting commandant, Adm. Kevin Lunday outlined plans to enhance the Coast Guard's presence and focus on safeguarding U.S. maritime borders and preventing illegal activities.
“The U.S. Coast Guard is the world’s premiere maritime law enforcement agency, vital to protecting America’s maritime borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Adm. Lunday said. “Per the President’s Executive Orders, I have directed my operational commanders to immediately surge assets—cutters, aircraft, boats and deployable specialized forces—to increase Coast Guard presence and focus starting with the following key areas.”
The targeted regions include:
- The southeast U.S. border approaching Florida to deter and prevent a maritime mass migration from Haiti and/or Cuba.
- The maritime border around Alaska, Hawai’i, the U.S. territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- The maritime border between the Bahamas and south Florida.
- The southwest maritime border between the U.S. and Mexico in the Pacific.
- The maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the Gulf of America.
- Support to Customs and Border Protection on maritime portions of the southwest U.S. border.
Adm. Lunday also highlighted the collaborative efforts required to address these challenges, noting that the Coast Guard is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. “Together...we will detect, deter, and interdict illegal migration, drug smuggling, and other terrorist or hostile activity before it reaches our border,” he said.
