[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H5592-H5593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1610
           GOVERNMENT BORDER SECURITY PLAN: ERECT A FEW SIGNS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I bring you news from the third 
front.

[[Page H5593]]

We have the first front in the war in Afghanistan, the second front is 
the war in Iraq, and the third front is the border with our neighbors 
to the south--Mexico. We are finally beginning to learn that there is 
concrete evidence of a new border plan by this administration. The 
administration's new plan is this. And let me show you. The plan is to 
put up warning signs--signs like this one right here. And I happen to 
have a photograph of one of these signs. It's on Interstate 8 in 
Arizona.
  The Bureau of Land Management began posting these signs recently in 
locations along Interstate 8 between Casa Grande and Gila Bend in 
Arizona. It's an east-west stretch of highway about 60 miles long. 
Phoenix is 30 miles to the north. The border with Mexico is 80 to 100 
miles to the south. About a dozen of these signs have been posted.
  You probably can't see this, Madam Speaker, so let's go through it. 
Of course, at the top it's in red: Danger: Public Warning--Travel Not 
Recommended. The Federal Government, the administration, and its new 
border security plan is to tell us, Don't travel this highway. It's not 
recommended by the Federal Government. The administration has issued 
travel warnings to citizens to not travel in parts of America. It's 
just too dangerous for Americans to go through America.
  The sign goes on and says some more. Right here, the first bullet 
point: Active Drug and Human Smuggling Area. So now we know why we're 
not to be in that part of Arizona--because it's not safe. There's an 
active area of drug smuggling and human trafficking. And so the remedy 
of the Federal Government is warning Americans to stay away.
  Further, the sign says: Visitors May Encounter Armed Criminals and 
Smuggling Vehicles Traveling at High Rates of Speed. Another reason why 
Americans are encouraged not to go through America. It's just not safe.
  Now, would those visitors be American? It must be because the sign is 
actually written in English, supposedly for Americans traveling this 
interstate highway across America.
  The sign further gives some more warning comments: Stay Away from 
Trash, Clothing, Backpacks, and Abandoned Vehicles. We're not supposed 
to get near those items when we travel Interstate 8. You see, it 
continues to say: If You See Suspicious Activity--and this must be 
important because it is underlined--Do Not Confront. Move Away. Call 
911.
  Now let's go over this warning on this interstate highway sign 
telling Americans not to travel through America because it's just too 
dangerous because of the illegal activity in the area. It says, If you 
see something that you think is suspicious, don't confront those 
people. Move away and call 911.
  Now let's go through this a little bit. Call 911. You pick up the 
phone, you call 911. Normally, when you call 911, you get local law 
enforcement to answer the phone. You don't get the Federal Government 
because they don't answer 911 calls.
  So our government is suing Arizona and doesn't want Arizona local law 
enforcement to enforce immigration laws and border security, but local 
security--police officers--will answer 911. They will probably say, 
Well, we're not supposed to be enforcing immigration laws so we're 
going to turn you over to ICE. They connect you to ICE--Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement. And what are they going to say? If we actually get 
to the Federal Government, what will they say? They will probably say, 
Well, read the rest of the sign and move away, because we have really 
not tried to enforce the law along Interstate 8 in Arizona. Seems to be 
a little nonsense to me.
  Here's my favorite one down here at the bottom. The last one says, 
The BLM--that's the Bureau of Land Management. They manage Federal 
lands in the United States to take care of us all. It says: The Bureau 
of Land Management Encourages Visitors to Use Public Lands North of 
Interstate 8. In other words, don't go south of Interstate 8, that 80 
miles to 90 miles to Mexico. Go north of Interstate 8. Phoenix is only 
30 miles from here, by the way.
  So, are we ceding as a country land south of Interstate 8 to Mexico, 
the drug cartels, to the human smugglers, to the drug traffickers? Are 
we just giving that land back because our Federal Government says, 
Sorry, we're not protecting that part of America. We're not going to 
keep that safe.
  That is unfortunate, giving this land over to the crime cartels. And 
so ceding the land to Mexico is not a border security plan at all. Our 
government's plan seems to be simple--erect a few signs, tell Americans 
to run and hide in their own country, and then sue the State of Arizona 
for trying to protect its citizens. That's not a plan. That's nonsense. 
The Federal Government is missing in action. We need to send the 
National Guard to the border and protect Americans.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________