WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall, and Representative Harry Teague, today announced that the Antelope Wells Port of Entry will receive $15.16 million to rebuild its facilities. The funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Department of Homeland Security earlier this month it was awarding funding to Antelope Wells, but it did not release the exact amount at that time.
"This is another great example of how the economic recovery package is helping New Mexico create jobs by meeting its long-overlooked needs. We are beginning to take aggressive action to combat the flow of guns and drugs across the border, and to be effective we'll need to make improvements to our ports of entry," said Bingaman, who met with local and federal law enforcement agencies in Las Cruces last week.
"To control the serious flow of violence from gun and drug smuggling through our border, it is critical that we improve security at our ports of entry," said Udall, who toured the New Mexico-Mexico border by helicopter last week. "With this recovery funding, we can make necessary renovations at Antelope Wells that have been ignored for far too long and create jobs in the process."
"The $15.16 million we are dedicating to Antelope Wells will begin to address long overdue repairs that will help boost the security of our borders," said Teague. "I voted for the stimulus package not only to create jobs and get our economy back on track, but also to address the many challenges our nation faces today like the problems along the US-Mexico border."
Also in early April, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would be releasing $2.4 million for improvements to the Columbus Port of Entry.
