[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            SMART BORDER ACT

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have traveled to the southern border 
dozens of times over the years, and the problem is always the same. The 
people who defend our border--really, defend our country--do the best 
they can with what they have got, but they are outmanned, outgunned, 
and outfinanced by the drug cartels and the people coming across from 
the other side.
  The continued failure to protect our border threatens our national 
security and the sovereignty of America. The reality is that the 
majority of the southern border territory is controlled by someone 
other than the United States. Why? Because there is no workable plan. 
Also, there is no moral will by this administration to protect our 
border.
  My bill, the SMART Border Act, outlines a robust border protection 
strategy that includes achieving operational control of the border 
within 1 year, provides smart border technology, and mandates more 
boots on the ground, including 10,000 National Guard troops at the 
request of the four border State Governors.
  Mr. Speaker, we must have the moral will to protect our borders. All 
types of people are crossing the border into the United States 
illegally--the good, the bad, and the ugly--and those days need to end. 
No one should come into America without America's permission.
  And that is just the way it is.

                          ____________________