(Washington, DC, July 21, 2006) — In a follow-up to her efforts to improve mail service to the Virgin Islands, Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen and her St. Thomas Office Manager Ed deLagarde visited the main San Juan postal facility today in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico to see first hand how Virgin Islands mail is handled.  Christensen also visited the air mail facility last night where all parcel post, Express and priority packages are processed and sent to the territory before daybreak.

“In my visits last night and earlier today, I saw that the Postal Service is indeed trying to improve its service to us,” Christensen said, “however, there are still issues that can be improved and I will continue to work on each of them.”

Delegate Christensen said that she was alarmed by the large number of packages locked up by the Customs and Border Protection. “I saw evidence with my own eyes of the result of the confiscation of mail that has been going on because of the vigorous implementation of homeland security regulations because we are outside the U.S. Customs zone,” she said. “I will now increase my efforts with Customs and Border Protection to sensitize them on how these policies are actually affecting us. They seem to be a major part of the problem.”  The Delegate said that she hopes to hear from the Food and Drug Administration shortly in regards to medications that are being confiscated. “In regards to the Postal Service, we are going to do periodic testing to determine whether or not the new procedures that I have been promised that will be implemented are working or not,” she said.  “I am pleased to note that the Postal Service is working to remedy the problems with delivering mail order purchases to the territory.  I have solicited the assistance of the Department of Commerce and have made this one of my priorities.”