Thread: DHS chief: Southwest border is ‘gaping wound’ in homeland security

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Tuesday, February 7, 2017

The lack of a border wall is “a gaping wound” in the country’s defenses, Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly said Tuesday, saying Border Patrol officials in the ground in Texas and Arizona can point to exact spots where fencing is needed right now.

Mr. Kelly also promised a marked jump in morale at his department, saying tens of thousands of immigration agents had been despondent after having their hands tied by the Obama administration, and are now eager to get back to enforcing the law — the job they were hired to do.

The retired Marine general, testifying to the House Homeland Security Committee, swatted aside complaints from lawmakers upset over the rhetoric of President Trump, saying he’s talked with agents on the ground who say there is a need for fencing.

“The people that work the border will tell you that physical barriers, backed up by men and women, is what we need to secure the southwest border,” Mr. Kelly said.

The new secretary also promised a new approach to quick deportations of criminals, and defended Mr. Trump’s new office designed to keep tabs on illegal immigrants held in local prisons and jails.

Mr. Kelly said victims and their families will be able to call the office to find out where things stand with the cases, and he also said it will help his agents when they want to go get the criminals.

“You can bet that my people will be standing there when he is paroled to take him into custody and send him back to where he came from,” Mr. Kelly said.

He was peppered with complaints from both Democrats and Republicans, particularly those from Texas, who said the border between Mexico and their state already has physical barriers, such as the Rio Grande.

They said Mr. Trump’s promise of a border wall angers their large trading partner in Mexico, would be prohibitively costly and isn’t needed in many places.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...-gaping-wound/

It's truly a terrible wound. It must be healed. I wish with all my heart we didn't need the wall, but the simple fact is we do and we need it now. Mexico has shown for years that it has no respect for our people or nation. But recently, the comments coming out of Mexico by its officials and leaders suggesting they flood our nation with deadly narcotics and stop their counter-terrorism efforts to flood US with terrorists, well, this is just beyond the pale and reveals without any doubt that Mexico is not our "friend" and has probably never been one.