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It was 2005 when I introduced legislation in the United States Senate to secure our borders first to stop the flood of illegal immigration. A key element of the bill was construction of a border fence in high problem areas coupled with electronic and aerial surveillance and an increase in the number of border patrol agents.
It's been a long, tough fight but what I saw last week along a desolate stretch of desert near Yuma, Arizona made it all worthwhile.
A Visit to the Border
As part of a delegation that included Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff we toured the U.S.-Mexico border on the ground and in the air. At the San Luis Port of Entry, just south of Yuma, Arizona, we got a look at new barriers under construction that were authorized by Congress last year as part of 700 miles of new border fencing aimed at stopping the flow of illegal immigrants, gangs, and drugs into our country.
Not Your Ordinary Fence
In the urban area of San Luis the fence is triple-layered. First, there's a fence, then an open area, then another secured fence, then another open area that includes a patrol road, and then a final fence. It is being extended for several miles to the east at which point technology takes over. The "virtual" fence is composed of radar, sensors, cameras watched by agents, and vehicle and aerial patrols in the most remote areas where illegal aliens attempting to cross would have to first travel through many miles of rough, desert terrain.
The Yuma area has been part of "Operation Jumpstart" which is a joint Border Patrol-National Guard effort. The Guard is acting as the "eyes and ears" and providing building assistance, which frees up border patrol agents to focus on interdictions.
New Improved Methods Bear Fruit
These methods are working. In urban Yuma, illegal immigrants used to be able to cross relatively easily by circumventing a chain-link fence. The new triple layered fence has shut down that access. In fact, according to the border patrol agents I spoke to, not one person had been able to get through all three layers without being apprehended.
Illegal border crossings around Yuma have dropped from 170,000 a month to only 15,000 which is still a problem but a significant improvement. According to Homeland Security, in the past four months, the number of would-be migrants caught inside the U.S. has dropped 27 percent compared with the same period last year.
Commitment to Border Security First
The trip confirmed my commitment to secure the borders before talking about amnesty or a path to citizenship which encourages more illegal border crossings. Talk about it and they will come and come and come trying to get in ahead of a deadline.
Before we begin to talk about amnesty programs we should do what we can to enhance LEGAL immigration, develop new work visas for farm workers; increase the number of visas and quotas, reduce the backlog of applications and enhance our review process to ensure we are letting in only folks who want to live by our laws and improve our communities.
All of those options should be on the table before we institute a blanket amnesty or reward those who came here illegally ahead of those who have waited patiently within the existing system.
For now, after the success I saw last week, we should continue full speed ahead toward securing our borders first.
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