Ted Poe: “More border agents are being sent to the border. The border, as we all know, is violent, dangerous, and it is not safe.…”

“More border agents are being sent to the border. The border, as we all know, is violent, dangerous, and it is not safe. Drugs and guns and people and money cross back and forth across the border because two nations do not have operational control of that border. The border is desolate. It is hard. It is a war zone-- but Madam Speaker, I am not talking about the border of the United States with Mexico. I am talking about the southern border, or the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan. That's right. Border Patrol agents from the United States are going to Afghanistan to protect the Afghan border from the Taliban coming in from Pakistan. It is a war zone over there, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has said we are going to contribute Border Patrol agents to protect the border of Afghanistan. There are already 25 there, and more are on the way. Now, Madam Speaker, why are Border Patrol agents from the United States going to Afghanistan? The marines and our soldiers and our troops over there can do the job. More importantly, we need the Border Patrol agents over here. "Homeland security" means that the Secretary of Homeland Security protects the American homeland, not the homeland of some other nation. We need the help. In fact, we need the military on our southern border. Our border is a war zone. Drugs and people and money crisscross our border with Mexico. It is a violent place. It is the third front.…”