Speech #CREC-2017-05-03-pt1-PgS2692-2_t84

It is an important issue President Trump ran on and one of the reasons I believe he was elected. Attention to securing the border is long overdue. I have always contended that border security is first and foremost a matter of political will because we know how to do it. The question is, Do we have the political will to accomplish it? Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol chief Manny Padilla likes to say--he served in numerous capacities all across the border, from Arizona, California, and now in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. He likes to say that there are really three legs to the stool of border security. There is technology, there is personnel, and then there is infrastructure, what some people like to call fencing or walls. Each area along the border depends--the mixture will depend on what makes sense, what is actually effective. It is obviously important to get the advice and input of professionals of Border Patrol who work day in and day out to secure the border. With this omnibus bill, we will see the strongest increase in border security funding in nearly a decade. That means more resources to help Customs and Border Patrol, among other agencies, to enforce our laws, keep trade flowing, and stem the tide of contraband and illegal immigration. When we talk about border security, it is also important to recognize the important economic and trading relationship we have with Mexico. Roughly 5 million American jobs depend on binational trade with Mexico, which is another reason I have been paying such close attention to the administration's discussion about updating NAFTA and other important trading agreements. More than half of the entire border between the United States and Mexico is in Texas so this is critical to Texas and to Texans and necessary to keep our people safe.