John Rice Carter: “Well, thank you. That was the first takeaway I had. The second takeaway I had from this trip was, for most of us, when…”

“Well, thank you. That was the first takeaway I had. The second takeaway I had from this trip was, for most of us, when we think of the southwestern border, we just think about illegal immigration, but it is much, much more than that. When you think about the drug cartels that are in Mexico, south of us, when you think about the drug smugglers that are bringing those drugs poisoning our children, poisoning families, ruining families, when you think about that, when you think about the terrorism threat we face as a nation, that shows you just how porous our borders are and just how important this issue is. Again, that is why this bill is so important--because it addresses that. Yes, it addresses fencing, and it calls for fencing where fencing is necessary. It addresses boots on the ground. It helps us to bolster the number of people and the number of agents that we have in certain areas, and we need that. It also takes into consideration technology. It utilizes the resources that we have. It is a smart bill. It is a good bill. It is a vital bill--a vital bill--to our national security. That is why I am glad I went on the trip. It was very educational, very eye opening to me. I am supporting this bill. I hope that my colleagues will support this bill. It is essential and vital to our national security. Again, thank you, the gentlewoman from Arizona, for the work that you are doing, and thank you to Chairman McCaul. Ms. McSALLY. Again, thank you, Mr. Carter, for your comments.…”