Another Democrat that needs a WAKE UP CALL!

Braley praises border security progress
By WILLIAM PETROSKI • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • March 29, 2008

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U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley said Friday it's impossible to prevent everyone from illegally crossing the United States-Mexican border, but enormous progress is being made to strengthen border security.

He said he remains convinced that constructing a fence from one end of the border to the other won't solve the problem. But he concluded that a mix of fencing, high-tech equipment and well-trained officers can be successful.

Braley, a Waterloo Democrat, toured the border on Tuesday near Tucson, Ariz. He and two other Democratic congressmen met with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials and were briefed on the technology, infrastructure and personnel being used to patrol the border.


"I have to tell you, it was one of the most fascinating experiences since I was elected to Congress" two years ago, Braley said Friday during a taping of "Iowa Press" at Iowa Public Television in Johnston.

"We saw all types of barriers. We saw the concrete fence erected in and around the port of Nogales. We saw the new tubular steel fencing that they are erecting. I also saw with my own eyes the tunnels under the existing border, including open, gaping holes. We saw video of people climbing the new, 12-foot-tall steel fencing. So there is nothing you can do to completely stop people from crossing the border."

But Braley said Border Patrol agents told him they strongly favor using strategic urban fencing to channel people into ports of entry before they disperse into urban areas. In many remote wilderness areas, border agents are more concerned about having technology, such as helicopters, remote-sensors, infrared detection gear, radar and visual equipment which has proven effective in intercepting people, he added.

Braley later told reporters he believes Border Patrol and Customs agents are making "enormous progress."

"We talked with people working in the Tucson sector, which goes from Yuma all the way to the New Mexico border - almost 250 miles. The data that they keep shows the number of apprehensions is going down while the number of confiscations of drugs and illegal contraband is going up. That tells me that the processes, the personnel and the technology that we have in place are making a difference," he said.

"Iowa Press" will be broadcast at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on statewide Iowa Public Television.

Reporter William Petroski can be reached at (515) 284-8547 or bpetroski@dmreg.com.

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