John Cornyn: “The Senator is absolutely right. Where there is a combination or layered approach to dealing with illegal immigration…”

“The Senator is absolutely right. Where there is a combination or layered approach to dealing with illegal immigration, there have been great successes, including an effort to use prosecution of people for crossing and incarcerating them for a short period of time, which acts as a further deterrent. The Senator raises another important point. While I certainly support his effort to try to get sufficient National Guard on the border, 1,200 won't cut it, not with a 2,000-mile border. We need more boots on the ground. We need to also make sure we support our local and State law enforcement people who are standing in the gap in the short term. That is why I appreciate the Senators' support on the other amendment we hope to vote on. We need the Southwest border task force to deal with these high-intensity drug trafficking programs. We also need to make sure we use the latest technology. The distinguished Senator is the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee. He is well aware of the use of the military unmanned aerial vehicles and, I believe--and I think he would agree with me--they could be used as a good effect, as a multiplier effect for the Border Patrol and National Guard there, something that could be used for training purposes for the National Guard, who have had experience using those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally, we need not only Border Patrol and National Guard, we need Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.”