Speech #1090157748

Although the Department of Homeland Security supported my amendment at the time to add these miles of fencing and barriers when we voted on those issues in May. funding for these miles of fencing is not included in the bill. The advantages of fencing are numerous. It magnifies. it multiplies the effectiveness of our Border Patrol officers as they go about their work. They have a difficult job to do. They have to maintain a border that is 1.700 miles long. They need help. There is no way we could have enough Border Patrol agents to patrol that entire border. We need to make it more difficult for those who would come in to our country illegally. Fencing has worked in San Diego. it has worked in Arizona. and it is going to work wherever we put it. to enhance the ability of our law enforcement officers to detain and stop and interdict those who would enter the country illegally. which is what we need to do if we are going to move from this lawless system of immigration to a lawful system of immigration. These are the kinds of things the American people have been asking for. They are asking for us to demonstrate that business as usual is no longer in effect. that talk is no longer in effect. The American people are looking at us and they are going to be looking at us carefully to see if we are actually going to follow through on what might really work to reduce illegal immigration and to create a system that is lawful and decent and fair. so people who wait in line are not chumps and those who break the law and come across the border illegally are the ones who get rewarded. We need to stop that. That is wrong.