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Border Security

We need to restore order at the border. This is a real issue and it needs to be fixed. I am supportive of policies that would work to reduce the chaos at the border and would move us towards a more fair immigration system.

Ports of entry along our southern border are critical to our national economy and the economy of border states, including California. The 44 active ports of entry along our southern border generate hundreds of billions of dollars in economic revenue every year and millions of jobs depend on trade between the United States and Mexico. The situation along our southern border is much more complicated than some try to make it out to be. Drugs continue to be a problem. The overwhelming majority are coming through the ports of entry. We have a drug problem in our country, and as long as there are consumers, there will be those looking to fill the orders.

The men and women of the Border Patrol are working tirelessly to address the situation at the border and are committed to the safety and security of our country. However, from what I have seen, they are doing a lot of jobs that should not fall under their responsibility and distracts from their primary job. These include administrative work, management of migrants, supervision of food and laundry services, and screening those applying for amnesty. Their main focus should be working to keep the border safe and stopping those bad actors who attempt to enter illegally or smuggle illegal items into our country.

The situation at the border is tenuous, but the overwhelming majority of television coverage of the border is people who are legally seeking asylum. This migration stems from problems that are intolerable in the countries from which they are running away. Imagine how difficult it is to traverse nearly impassable jungles and cover hundreds if not thousands of miles because conditions in your home country are so bad that you worry for the lives and safety of your children.

To put it simply, the situation at the border is complicated. We have a lot of work to do, but if the border continues to be used as a political weapon, we’ll get nowhere. It is going to take bipartisan work and cooperation to address the situation at the border, and I am committed to helping make the border more secure.