[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 23, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3078-S3079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Border Security

  Mr. President, on another matter, I have the privilege of serving as 
the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and 
Immigration. It is a role I take seriously in light of the many 
challenges our Nation faces when it comes to security and trade along 
our southern border.
  The Texas-Mexico border makes up more than 60 percent of the total 
U.S. southern border. That means Texas is at the epicenter of the 
national security conversation when it comes to border security and 
protecting communities that thrive on cross-border trade, not to 
mention the U.S. economy that reaps 5 million jobs as a result of 
binational trade with Mexico alone.
  Later today, the subcommittee will have a chance to examine this 
important topic and consider ways that Congress can help the Trump 
administration make America safer and our borders stronger. In 
particular, I look forward to hearing from Chief Ron Vitiello, who is 
currently Acting Deputy Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection. 
He actually is the head Border Patrol agent for the Federal Government, 
a man who has spent many years on the frontlines and knows from 
experience the challenges that exist in securing the border.
  Customs and Border Protection agents and officers face a range of 
challenges every day, working in some of the most inhospitable 
environments and remote locations, often without adequate resources or 
equipment. They work tirelessly to combat drug trafficking, arms 
smuggling, illegal immigration, and human trafficking, while 
simultaneously working to facilitate legitimate trade and travel 
between Mexico and the United States.
  I spoke a little bit about this yesterday in light of NAFTA's 
importance to the Texas and U.S. economy. Texas is a first port of 
entry for many goods and many people coming from all over the world, 
and it takes a solid team of Customs and Border Patrol professionals 
and good leadership to manage the border and the many ports of entry 
along it. I am grateful to Chief Vitiello for his hard work and look 
forward to his testimony this afternoon.
  This administration has made clear that securing the border is a top 
priority, and I agree with that. I am confident that with topnotch 
leaders like Secretary Kelly of the Department of Homeland Security and 
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, we will finally make real progress 
toward getting it done.
  The appropriations bill that was recently signed into law included 
the largest increase for border security technologies and 
infrastructure improvement in more than a decade. Fortunately, the 
President's budget supports increased investment in border security and 
immigration enforcement, as well, including new infrastructure and 
technologies to help us achieve operational control of the southern 
border. This focus on border security is a welcome change from the 
previous administration, and I am glad we now have leaders who will 
take the need to achieve true border security seriously.

  I have always said that border security ultimately is a matter of 
political will. The Obama administration didn't have it; the Trump 
administration does. With the political will and with the guidance of 
experts like Chief Vitiello and others who tell us exactly

[[Page S3079]]

what the Border Patrol needs in order to secure the border, I am 
confident of our ability to get it done.
  I will just relate the conversation I had with the Chief of the Rio 
Grande Border Patrol sector, Chief Manny Padilla. Chief Padilla long 
served in the Border Patrol in many different places along the border.
  Of course, the border is very different in San Diego than it is in 
the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. For one thing, Texas has virtually all 
private property along the border and, of course, is separated by the 
Rio Grande River from Mexico.
  What Chief Padilla has said to me, which I believe is absolutely the 
case, is that it takes three different things to secure the border. It 
takes infrastructure. You can call it fencing, like the Secure Fence 
Act that we passed a few years ago that almost all of our Democratic 
colleagues voted for. It takes things like levy walls, which we have in 
Hidalgo County and the Rio Grande Valley. But it also takes technology 
and personnel because we know that no piece of infrastructure alone is 
going to provide the security we need. But fundamentally we need to 
regain the people's trust and confidence that the Federal Government 
will carry out its primary responsibility to protect our citizens and 
defend our borders.
  Border security is complex. It is multifaceted and requires an 
approach that includes air, sea, and land. That is why we need a 
multilayered approach to border security that includes infrastructure, 
like the President talks about frequently when he talks about the wall. 
It takes technology, and it takes the men and women in the Border 
Patrol who do the dangerous but important work of keeping our border 
secure and keeping our country safe.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, shortly we will be voting on cloture on 
the nomination of John Sullivan, the nominee to be Deputy Secretary of 
State, and as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee, I urge my colleagues to support the cloture motion and 
support the nomination of John Sullivan to be the next Deputy Secretary 
of State.