Speech #1090171375

I am committed to using my best informed judgment in deciding how I vote on each bill that comes before the House of Representatives. My goal for securing the borders is to provide the U.S. Border Patrol with the right tools. assets. including fences and vehicle barriers. equipment. and number of agents to interdict every person trying to illegally cross into our country. We should approach meeting this goal in a systematic and thoughtful process. In my judgment. The Secure Fence Act does not do this. The first step is to thoroughly analyze what is needed along all of our borders to meet our goal. At a minimum. the Border Patrol should be asked to provide us with what they think in their professional judgment is needed to do their job. The Secure Fence Act starts this type of analysis as it relates to the northern and maritime borders with the requirement that the Department of Homeland Security spend the next year developing a rational program for meeting our goal as it relates to these borders. As for the southern border. the bill simply requires that 700 miles of fencing be built at locations fixed by the bill by May The bill set the amount of fencing for the southern border at 700 miles without properly consulting the Border Patrol. who knows best where a fence is needed. A proper analysis of the problem may show that we actually need 1.000 miles or it may show us that only 500 miles is needed to secure the border. In addition to knowing how much fencing is needed and where the fencing will be most effective. we should know how much the fencing is going to cost.