Jodey Arrington: “In the preamble of the Constitution, our Founding Fathers explained a more perfect Union required the Federal Government…”

“In the preamble of the Constitution, our Founding Fathers explained a more perfect Union required the Federal Government to do a few things, and to do them well. At the top of the list is the Federal Government's responsibility to provide for the common defense and secure our freedom. There is no freedom without security. These concepts, these pillars upon which this great Nation was founded, must be proactively protected every day by men and women across this Nation. A select few of those men and women wake up every morning to patrol and protect our sovereign Nation's border in the face of drug smuggling, human trafficking, and violent criminal activity. {time} 1530 They work to safeguard our Nation, enforce the rule of law, and promote free trade and commerce through our ports of entry. Yet the previous administration's policy left our Border Patrol and Customs operations hamstrung and significantly understaffed. As someone who represents a border State, I have seen and experienced those vulnerabilities firsthand. To say that our Border Patrol and Customs operations are woefully understaffed is woefully understated. We are almost 3,000 officers and agents short of the minimum that is mandated by Congress. One reason for this understaffing is the unreasonable and protracted hiring processes. In 2015, it took more than 460 days, on average, and 11 separate steps to hire a new officer or agent.…”