During my years of services in the government, I have spent a great deal of time studying and managing the spectrum of threats to our borders as well as the diverse ways in which those threats are moved across the border.

When I was involved in the initial creation of the Department of Homeland Security, we were given a clear twofold mission. The first part of the mission was to secure our borders. The second was to maintain the free and efficient flow of commerce and people.

As we learned after President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley tariff at the outset of the Great Depression, vibrant international trade is a key component to economic recovery; hindering trade is a recipe for disaster.

Asa Hutchinson Quotes