Political Quotes

“Colleagues, the purpose of the fence is to prevent illegal pedestrian and vehicular traffic crossing the international border of the United States with Mexico. This bill does four main things. First, it authorizes over 700 miles of two-layered reinforced fencing along the southwest border with prioritized placement at critical, highly populated areas. Second, the legislation mandates that the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, achieve and maintain operational control over the entire border through a ``virtual fence'' that deploys cameras, ground sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, and integrated surveillance technology. Third, it requires DHS to provide all necessary authority to border personnel to disable fleeing vehicles, similar to the authority held by the U.S. Coast Guard for maritime vessels. Finally, the bill requires DHS to assess the vulnerability of the northern border. Some of my colleagues ask why we need these additional border control tools. When combined with high-tech detection devices, a secure fence should make attempts to cross our border more time-consuming so that the Border Patrol has time to respond and catch those trying to breach the border.”