Speech #1090179612

Part of this will be to replace this deteriorating and ugly fencing. Another will be to imbed sensors in the fence so when we have fencing 20. 30 miles outside a communitymost of the fencing is in the urban areas where most of the people are. But if we extend it to some of the smuggling corridors. lets say 20 miles outside of town. we are also going to want to get the Border Patrol to a site of a breakthrough or an attempted crossover of the fence. No fence is impervious to people getting through if they have enough time and equipment. That is the key. It slows them down. What we have to have is Border Patrol units that can get to anyplace along the fence in a reasonable period of time. perhaps 10. 15 minutes. or else it will not do any good. If the fence is being tampered with or someone is trying to go over or under it and the Border Patrol is no more than. say. 10 minutes away. that fence stops people long enough for the Border Patrol to get to the site and either prevent the illegal entry or apprehend the people coming in. So we have to have Border Patrol along with fencing. and that means we also have to increase Border Patrol. What are we doing in that regard? We are appropriating enough money for another 1.500 Border Patrol this year. which will take us up to well over 14.000. approaching 15.000. and that is another critical component of this legislation. Vehicle barriers. fencing. sensors. Border Patrol units. and in those places where it doesnt make sense to have a physical fence. we can have cameras--one person stationed in a control room which can monitor maybe 20 different cameras. and any time they see people massing on the other side of the border. they can simply call up the Border Patrol in the area closest. making sure they get to that site in time to apprehend the individuals crossing illegally or to prevent the crossing. All of this can be done. We simply need to appropriate the money and to grant the authority and the direction to the Department of Homeland Security to get the job done.