Speech #1090171123

I traveled with Congressmen CHARLIE DENT. HENRY CUELLAR. JOHN DOOLITTLE. and Jo BONNER to meet with Border Patrol agents from Laredo. Texas. and to see firsthand the needs of our country as it relates to border protection. We discussed with these dedicated men and women on the front line of our border how best to address the rampant drug and human smuggling that occurs in an area along our southern border. We learned firsthand of the challenges faced by our brave Border Patrol agents in combating the flood of criminal activity that occurs along our southern border on a daily basis. The information we learned on this trip. and the information learned from dozens of other field hearings just like this from this past August. all have been incorporated in the legislation that we will hope to take up today. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 advances the rule of law and protects our Nation by providing our Border Patrol with the tools they need to achieve operational control of the border. The language closely mirrors sections 101. 1002. and 1003 of the border bill already passed by the House. and authorizes more than 700 miles of twolayered reinforced fencing along the southwest border with prioritized placement at critical. highly populated areas. It also requires an evaluation of infrastructure needs along the northern border of America.