Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) issued the following statement ahead of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitanos
planned trip to Houston and the Arizona-Mexico border:
Recent news reports noting wide gaps in security along the U.S.-Mexico border and scores of individuals crossing into the U.S. illegally continue to fly in the face of the Obama Administrations insistence that our border is secure.
Texans and all Americans would appreciate a healthy dose of reality from Secretary Napolitano. She should admit the border is far from secure and commit to implementing a clear metric to measure security something her Department has not done since 2010 and continues to resist."
BACKGROUND
High-Ranking Border Patrol Officials in Texas Are Considering Constructing a Tent City." Emails obtained by Fox News show Border Patrol officials in Texas feel overwhelmed by the sudden influx from Mexico…We need to take a hard look at a tent city and maybe even broach the subject with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano when she is here it read. Our agents and stations need relief as soon as possible." (
Budget Cuts DC Debate Have Illegals Surging Across Mexican Border Experts Say" Fox News 4/3/13)
Recent Drone Surveillance in Arizona Revealed CBP Agents Apprehended Less Than Half of Illegal Crossers. According to internal reports Border Patrol agents used the airborne radar to help find and detain 1874 people in the Sonora Desert between Oct. 1 and Jan. 17. But the radar system spotted an additional 1962 people in the same area who evaded arrest and disappeared into the United States." (
Radar Shows U.S. Border Security Gaps" LA Times 4/4/13)
Senator Cornyn serves on the Finance and Judiciary Committees. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committees Immigration Refugees and Border Security subcommittee.