WEBVTT 00:00:04.170 --> 00:00:07.530 >> Ready. >> Okay, two, three! 00:00:07.530 --> 00:00:09.760 >> Yes! >> All right! 00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:11.110 >> And the ribbon was cut, 00:00:11.110 --> 00:00:13.420 inaugurating the new U.S. Customs 00:00:13.420 --> 00:00:15.190 and Border Protection Air 00:00:15.190 --> 00:00:17.530 and Marine Operations Aircraft Hangar 00:00:17.530 --> 00:00:19.290 and Support Facilities 00:00:19.290 --> 00:00:21.150 at the Rafael Hernandez 00:00:21.150 --> 00:00:23.490 International Airport in Aguadilla, 00:00:23.490 --> 00:00:26.890 Puerto Rico on the 22nd of June, 2016. 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:28.750 >> It's a very important day 00:00:28.750 --> 00:00:30.980 here in Aguadilla for Customs 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:34.590 and Border Protection to dedicate this new facility. 00:00:34.590 --> 00:00:37.980 It's important economic benefit to this community, 00:00:37.980 --> 00:00:41.660 but it's also one that's going to serve this organization, CBP, 00:00:41.660 --> 00:00:45.300 well by providing an excellent working facility 00:00:45.300 --> 00:00:49.210 for the men and women who fly our helicopters and planes, 00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:51.700 and who operate our interceptor boats. 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:54.050 >> The new 30,000 square foot, 00:00:54.050 --> 00:00:55.390 $10 million facility 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:58.380 is part of the CBP Caribbean Air 00:00:58.380 --> 00:00:59.740 and Marine branch, 00:00:59.740 --> 00:01:02.240 and the only federal law enforcement organization 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:05.060 in the Caribbean basin with integrated Air 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:07.530 and Marine interdiction capabilities. 00:01:07.530 --> 00:01:09.010 >> So I think nationally, 00:01:09.010 --> 00:01:10.670 this area of Puerto Rico 00:01:10.670 --> 00:01:12.630 is critical to interdicting 00:01:12.630 --> 00:01:15.500 drug flows moving toward the Continental United States, 00:01:15.500 --> 00:01:19.190 and also this branch is critical to making that occur, 00:01:19.190 --> 00:01:21.270 along with protecting the people of Puerto Rico 00:01:21.270 --> 00:01:23.660 from adverse criminal elements 00:01:23.660 --> 00:01:27.410 and those who want to cause great destruction on the island itself. 00:01:27.410 --> 00:01:30.310 So I think as a service to the American people 00:01:30.310 --> 00:01:31.920 and the people also of Puerto Rico, 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.980 that his is a great Air and Marine branch, 00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:36.720 and also a great facility. 00:01:36.720 --> 00:01:38.430 >> The Caribbean Air and Marine branch 00:01:38.430 --> 00:01:41.020 has been attacking the drug trafficking organizations 00:01:41.020 --> 00:01:42.830 here in the Caribbean for a long time. 00:01:43.410 --> 00:01:45.010 We're constantly growing. 00:01:45.010 --> 00:01:47.570 More people, more assets, now a new hangar -- 00:01:48.310 --> 00:01:51.460 we're continuously getting better at what we do, 00:01:52.210 --> 00:01:53.720 and we're becoming more effective at 00:01:53.720 --> 00:01:56.370 targeting these drug trafficking new organizations. 00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:58.980 This is going to allow us to do that better. 00:01:58.980 --> 00:02:00.320 >> Five years of planning 00:02:00.320 --> 00:02:02.250 and 24 months of construction 00:02:02.250 --> 00:02:04.410 saw the completion of the 30,000 00:02:04.410 --> 00:02:06.760 square foot ultra-modern hangar facility. 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:09.180 The project was a successful collaboration 00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:11.410 amongst the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 00:02:11.410 --> 00:02:13.620 the General Services Administration, 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:15.410 the Puerto Rican Port Authority 00:02:15.410 --> 00:02:17.440 and the Federal Aviation Administration. 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:20.260 >> This is a secure facility. 00:02:20.260 --> 00:02:22.720 The hangar is state of the art, 00:02:22.720 --> 00:02:24.920 with all new technologies; 00:02:24.920 --> 00:02:27.240 IT, wireless -- everything we need here, 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:28.600 we've captured them all here. 00:02:29.170 --> 00:02:32.860 The building is rated for levels of hurricane 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:34.880 that they do see here in the Caribbean. 00:02:34.880 --> 00:02:38.150 If another disaster were to occur here, 00:02:38.150 --> 00:02:40.250 this building will fill up with foam, 00:02:40.250 --> 00:02:43.390 which is something new we have tested here. 00:02:43.390 --> 00:02:44.630 >> So I was hired here, 00:02:44.630 --> 00:02:46.780 and my initial hire was to Puerto Rico, 00:02:46.780 --> 00:02:49.950 the Caribbean Air branch, in 1997. 00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:55.600 Back then the facilities were very spartan, trailers 00:02:55.600 --> 00:02:59.240 for offices. Actually, the admin building was across the street, 00:02:59.870 --> 00:03:02.530 so they used to joke that the most dangerous part of the job 00:03:02.530 --> 00:03:04.030 was coming to fly 00:03:04.030 --> 00:03:06.870 and crossing the street at rush hour. 00:03:06.870 --> 00:03:10.860 So now the facility's all on one side of the street; a lot safer there. 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:12.600 But beautiful new facility 00:03:12.600 --> 00:03:15.000 that aircraft can be housed inside. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:17.530 The admin spaces are all up to date 00:03:17.530 --> 00:03:19.160 and state of the art. 00:03:20.090 --> 00:03:22.660 The maintainers can work on the aircraft 00:03:22.660 --> 00:03:24.360 inside the hangar, which is huge. 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:26.600 The weather won't affect the airplanes 00:03:26.600 --> 00:03:29.810 since they're inside, nor will the salt spray, 00:03:29.810 --> 00:03:32.230 which will parley into operations being 00:03:32.230 --> 00:03:35.850 a lot more robust and a lot more consistent. 00:03:35.850 --> 00:03:37.810 So the crews have a better airplane to fly 00:03:37.810 --> 00:03:39.150 because it's maintained better, 00:03:39.760 --> 00:03:42.690 and the operators have a lot better picture 00:03:42.690 --> 00:03:46.050 to go out and fly on when they do fly. 00:03:46.050 --> 00:03:48.640 >> Here in the Caribbean, in particular in Puerto Rico 00:03:48.640 --> 00:03:50.010 and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- 00:03:50.010 --> 00:03:51.680 we're islands. 00:03:51.680 --> 00:03:55.190 We have a tread that is 360 degrees. 00:03:55.190 --> 00:03:57.900 Basically we have open waters around the island. 00:03:57.900 --> 00:04:01.600 We need to understand that we are very close to countries 00:04:01.600 --> 00:04:04.620 that pose a threat to the nation. 00:04:04.620 --> 00:04:08.150 And if we're not capable of deploying our resources 00:04:08.150 --> 00:04:10.440 in a timely and effective way, 00:04:10.440 --> 00:04:13.240 we would not be able to be able to combat 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:16.620 those threats and protect our borders. 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:18.770 Having this new facility here, 00:04:18.770 --> 00:04:22.250 what it gives us is better tools and equipment 00:04:22.250 --> 00:04:25.780 to be able to do that mission in the most effective way, 00:04:25.780 --> 00:04:29.480 and be able to protect the borders of our nation. 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:32.170 >> The coordination with Air Marine and Border 00:04:32.170 --> 00:04:35.630 Patrol as part of the Caribbean inter-agency group, 00:04:35.630 --> 00:04:37.840 it's pretty much seamless; 00:04:37.840 --> 00:04:41.040 it's something that is day-to-day, 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:43.280 and support from one side to the other. 00:04:43.280 --> 00:04:46.820 It's something that's really really important for the Border 00:04:46.820 --> 00:04:49.070 Patrol and the border security mission. 00:04:49.710 --> 00:04:51.240 >> We have to protect our children. 00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:52.610 If we protect our children, 00:04:52.610 --> 00:04:54.450 we're going to have much more better adults. 00:04:54.450 --> 00:04:55.520 And that's what we're looking for. 00:04:55.520 --> 00:04:58.380 If we give the good way to life to our children, 00:04:58.380 --> 00:05:00.710 then they won't turn into drug dealers. 00:05:00.710 --> 00:05:04.580 They won't turn into thieves. So that's what we're looking for. 00:05:04.580 --> 00:05:07.020 Protection, education, and that's all -- 00:05:07.020 --> 00:05:08.730 we're very happy that this happened.