John Cornyn: “I have in my hand a list of the countries from which individuals who have been detained at the border have originated.…”

“I have in my hand a list of the countries from which individuals who have been detained at the border have originated. In 2009, 2 people from Afghanistan were apprehended on the southern border; 10 from Iran, a state sponsor of international terrorism, as we know; 10 have come from Iraq; 19 from Pakistan; 12 from Somalia; and 3 from Yemen. Out of a total of 45,000 other-than-Mexican citizen immigrants apprehended at the border, these are just some examples of why our porous border represents a national security threat in the global war on terror. There is also another reminder in the news recently where two F-16s had been dispatched to intercept an ultralight aircraft flying across the border into Arizona. Some 200 ultralight aircraft have been detected in 2009 alone. These ultralight aircraft do not require a license to fly. They typically fly so low to avoid any radar detection. It is estimated by the Department of Homeland Security that some 600 of them have flown into the United States, primarily transporting huge loads of illegal drugs, of course, being sold on America's streets to our children, among others.”