Speech #1040256414

I think when we look at this data on drug use it is obvious that we are not doing our job. I think we need to change that pattern. I want to double the size of the Border Patrol. This last year we took a first step. It is a major step in the right direction. Right now we have more police officers in Washington. DC. than we have Border Patrol agents trying to police and control the entire border of the United States of America. It is not unusualin fact it is the normto have on any shift in a 300mile strip from Brownsville to Laredo 87 Border Patrol agents actually workIng that line. We are using in many cases nearobsolete sensing devices. while the military has great night vision and infrared capacity. We do not have similar capability in the Border Patrol. That needs to change. We need to double the size of the Border Patrol over the next 5 years. I believe that given the threat we face from armed drug gangs. with automatic weapons. with nightvision capability. and with sophisticated electronic communications basically invading our country nightly. that we do not now have the resources we need and we have certainly not committed the will to keep drugs out of our country. We need to expand the capacity of the FBI Academy.