KMA Land - Young Favors Increased Border Security

News Article

By Mike Peterson

Iowa 3rd District Congressman David Young says last weekend's whirlwind trip to the U.S.-Mexican border educated him on border security.

Young was among U.S. House Homeland Security Committee members to tour the border, with stops in San Diego, Tuscon and Sierra Vista, Arizona, and McAllen, Texas. In an interview during KMA's 7:35 newscast Wednesday morning, the Van Meter Republican says he learned there's no "one size fits all" approach to solving the nation's immigration problems.

"It was good for me to go down there," said Young. "It was good for any member of Congress to go down there, because if we're going to be working on this, and voting on this, and deliberating on this in the U.S. Congress, we need to know what we're talking about. There's nothing like getting an education with that first hand, up close approach.

"We also need the will to do it," he said. "We have to have the will. We can do this. If you look at the whole immigration issue, first and foremost, we have to control the border before we go any further, in my opinion. Because, if we don't control the border, it's the same old, same old."
Young says tougher enforcement is needed in order to control border security.

"We need to make sure that when we capture folks," Young said, "that we either deport them, or put them in jail--there's no catch and release. We can't be soft on this. We're a nation of immigrants. I'm a 6th generation Iowan. This is the place to be--America. It's a catch-22, though. As much as people want to come here, we do have the rule of law. And, we have to abide by our laws. If we don't, everything else crumbles."

The congressman says the recent Republican-backed homeland security bill passed in the House defunded President Obama's executive orders on immigration issued in December. Young calls the president's immigration orders "unconstitutional."

"We have to do our job," he said. "There is a balance of power. There are three branches of government. Congress is the policy, legislative body. And, we need to remind this president or any other president of that, as well. We have a separation of powers."

Young is also critical of the current border security measure making its way through Congress, saying it doesn't go far enough. He favors legislation that would take discretion away from the U.S. Homeland Security Department on immigration enforcement.

"It you really want to hit somebody, you hit them in the pocketbook," said the congressman. "If the department of homeland security doesn't follow the laws of this bill, you take away travel for these homeland security folks. You take away bonuses, pay raises, no elaborate conferences. So, you hit them in the wallet. I like that approach."

Young also calls for additional fencing in areas between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, as well as aerial drones to monitor border activity on the land and sea. He adds illegal immigrants are being very creative in entering the U.S.--some in the San Diego area even use jet skis to crash into the beaches.

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