A Call to Action--Border Security

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Thank you very much. Let me begin by
complimenting you and applauding your efforts, the gentlewoman from
Arizona. Your leadership in this has been invaluable. We appreciate it
very much. You have taken a leading role in this.

I also want to compliment and applaud the chairman of Homeland
Security, Chairman McCaul, for his tenacity in assuring that this gets
done.

For most of us, when we go home and we talk about illegal immigration
or we talk about the terrorists or the threat of terrorism or when we
talk about drug smuggling, the one thing that our constituents say is:
Secure the border. Secure the border.

That is always the first thing they say, regardless of what we are
talking about, whether it is illegal immigrants, whether it is
terrorism, the threat of terrorism. They always say that first, and it
is very important.

Now, I will be quite honest with you. I am from south Georgia, and I
don't get out a whole lot. In fact, quite honestly, this is the first
time I have ever been to the southwest border. I have never been to
California before I went on this trip. I have never been to Arizona.
Although I have been to Texas, I have never been to the Rio Grande, so
it was an eye-opening experience for me.

Before I went there, I think that I was like most of my constituents
and like many Americans. I would watch what is happening on TV, and I
would holler at the TV: Build a fence. Build a fence.

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Well, after you visited and after you talked
to the Border Patrol agents, after you talked to the ranchers, after
you talked to the local officials, you realize that in each sector,
that is not necessarily the answer--that in certain sectors, yes, a
fence is needed, but in other areas, in other sectors, that is not what
is needed.

We need more technology. We need boots on the ground. Those are the
types of things we need in certain sectors, and that was eye opening.
That was one of the takeaways that I had from this trip.

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Well, thank you. That was the first takeaway I
had.

The second takeaway I had from this trip was, for most of us, when we
think of the southwestern border, we just think about illegal
immigration, but it is much, much more than that.

When you think about the drug cartels that are in Mexico, south of
us, when you think about the drug smugglers that are bringing those
drugs poisoning our children, poisoning families, ruining families,
when you think about that, when you think about the terrorism threat we
face as a nation, that shows you just how porous our borders are and
just how important this issue is.

Again, that is why this bill is so important--because it addresses
that. Yes, it addresses fencing, and it calls for fencing where fencing
is necessary. It addresses boots on the ground. It helps us to bolster
the number of people and the number of agents that we have in certain
areas, and we need that. It also takes into consideration technology.
It utilizes the resources that we have.

It is a smart bill. It is a good bill. It is a vital bill--a vital
bill--to our national security. That is why I am glad I went on the
trip. It was very educational, very eye opening to me.

I am supporting this bill. I hope that my colleagues will support
this bill. It is essential and vital to our national security.

Again, thank you, the gentlewoman from Arizona, for the work that you
are doing, and thank you to Chairman McCaul.

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