RRC Commissioner Raises Concerns of Border Security

Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) commissioner David Porter has sent a letter to U.S. Customers and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske questioning the agency’s commitment to border security and the protection of U.S. interests and infrastructure. Porter’s concern stems from several published reports detailing unsettling communication between ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Mexican cartels.

“The reports detail some very disturbing accounts of Mexican drug cartels using Texas oil routes to transport narcotics and illegal aliens, which endangers the lives of RRC inspectors, the oil and gas industry and, in turn, the economic security of the United States,” Porter asserted. He also expressed grave concerns that some illegal aliens may be terrorists, citing a CBP report that reveals hundreds caught trying to enter the U.S. by crossing the Mexican border have been from nations that sponsor terrorism, namely Pakistan, Egypt, and Yemen.

According to Porter, the Border Patrol is so occupied by the overflow of illegal alien children that they are neglecting vulnerable pipeline rights-of-way and opening the border to cartels, drug smugglers, and potential terrorists. “The Border Patrol should be protecting our people and industry from terrorists, and not acting as a nanny service,” he added.

“The oil and gas industry makes up more than a third of the Texas economy. If we don’t have stronger border security in these energy-producing areas, they will become too dangerous to occupy, and oil and gas production will come to a halt in one of the most productive areas of the country.” Porter is in the process of scheduling site visits to determine what steps, if any, RRC will need to take.