Speech #1090171140

A number of years ago. prior to the creation of the Homeland Security Committee. we did a major border report. the most comprehensive border report ever done in the history of this Congress. In that process. we had done roughly. I believe. six hearings on the Mexican border and three on the Canadian border. and I have personally visited nearly every border crossing on both the north and south border with very few exceptions. In that course of time. it becomes apparent that some of what Mr. REYES has been saying Is absolutely true. We do not have enough money for the Border Patrol. We do not have a salary scale with which to keep them in the Border Patrol. and I have worked over multiple years to keep increasing that. In fact. we have tried to increase the Border Patrol here in Congress. because it is not easy to just stay standing in the sand. in the heat. day after day. We have tried to vary their positions. but when they get other opportunities to be air marshals. when they get other opportunities to take other posts. they tend to leave. We. in spite of our hiring. have been putting hundreds and thousands through training and can barely gain in the numbers. We need to be more aggressive. and we need to have a realistic pay scale and job opportunities for the people who go into our Border Patrol. but absolutely we need to ramp up at a faster rate the number of Border Patrol people. We need to make sure they have adequate facilities with them. cars. equipment. radios. that when some of the drug terrorists or people who are moving large numbers of people come out with more military weapons and guns than our Border Patrol have. and in greater numbers. we have a human problem at the border. and we need to understand that in many cases those who are trying to invade us are armed. and armed more aggressively. We may have places where we have one agent or two agents with 100 to 200 people coming at them. It is a very difficult job. and we ought to raise. defend. expand and give the equipment to our Border Patrol. That is what we do in the Homeland Security bill. and we need to ramp it up faster. But there is another problem here. and my friend Mr. REYES and I have been at joint hearings. we have traveled together. and I very much respect his position. But with the people along the border. it is a much more controversial issue. But as we look at a broader immigration strategy in the United States. and I absolutely agree with that. we have three different problems. the illegal immigration problem. the terrorism problem and the narcotics and contraband problem. Narcotics and contraband would also include chemical. nuclear and biological weapons and parts. Basically. if you cant protect your border. you are not safe.