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Border leaders' input crucial to fence plan
by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Published in the San Antonio Express-News January 17, 2007
Securing our nation's borders should be among the highest priorities of the new congressional leadership because continued failure to do so endangers our nation's security. This is not a question that affects only states that share an international border; it demands immediate attention because it affects every American.
Throughout last year's debate on comprehensive immigration reform, I stressed the need to secure our borders — not only our border with Mexico, but also our northern border with Canada, our maritime borders, coastlines and ports of entry. I have consistently voted in favor of strong border security initiatives, including reinforced fencing in strategic areas.
Other measures should be taken as well, including the deployment of additional Border Patrol agents, port of entry inspectors, immigration and customs personnel and drug enforcement agents. I have also supported the purchase of additional equipment, such as encrypted two-way radios, body armor and night-vision goggles.
Not only fencing but additional physical barriers are needed. Improved roads for patrols, lighting, cameras, electronic sensors and other infrastructure upgrades are needed. Only with such a multitiered, layered system will we be able to achieve our objective.
It is essential that those who know the border best are part of the process. Security measures will be far more effective if those who live and work along the border have a say in critical decisions, such as the location of fences. Congressmen who live thousands of miles from the border have neither the expertise nor background to make such decisions unilaterally.
In that spirit, I have arranged for mayors from cities along the border to meet today with Sen. John Cornyn, myself and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to give the secretary insights that can be provided only by those immersed in border issues every day.
The Secure Fence Act of 2006 authorizes 700 miles of fencing along our southern border, and the mayors attending today's meeting represent more than 2.1 million Texans directly impacted by this law. It is imperative that the voices of all Texans be heard, including those of state and local governments, Indian tribes and private property owners.
Throughout the process that led to passage of the Secure Fence Act, Sen. Cornyn and I were frustrated that local officials representing areas specifically cited in the act — particularly in the El Paso, Del Rio-to-Eagle Pass and Laredo-to-Brownville sectors — did not have the opportunity to participate in decisions regarding the location of fencing and other physical infrastructure near their communities. We repeatedly attempted to remedy this omission during the 109th Congress, and today's meeting with Secretary Chertoff is a result of those efforts.
Fencing has proven to be an effective deterrent to crime along the Texas-Mexico border. For more than a decade, we have had a border fence in El Paso, where apprehensions decreased dramatically following fence construction.
More recently, in May 2005, a fence was constructed in Laredo. About 1.2 miles of strategic fencing has kept the students and faculty of Laredo Community College and local residents safe from the perils of illegal narcotic trafficking.
Both fences were built because local communities, in collaboration with their Border Patrol sector chiefs, recognized the effectiveness of strategic fences in controlling illegal entry and narcotic and human trafficking.
The United States is bound to Mexico by ties of history, blood, culture and land. Our expanding commerce, growing trade and history with Mexico are like the Rio Grande, which unites us. Our border should bring health and life to both sides. It must be a shared resource from which we both benefit. It can be a symbol of the heritage we will always share.
We do not need to isolate ourselves from our friends. We can secure our borders with infrastructure and technology that protect our sovereignty and citizens and that make economic sense.
We have a historic opportunity to repair our immigration system, and I look forward to playing a key role in shaping comprehensive legislation in the 110th Congress. We must secure our borders first; and to keep our borders secure and our economy strong, we must work toward a solution that addresses the needs of commerce.
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