Cornyn Says More Resources Needed to Protect Border


Reported by: Melissa Correa
Last Update: 8/30 11:16 pm


HIDALGO - Border security in the Valley is outdated and in need of a makeover according to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. He says more resources are needed to protect from spillover violence.

Millions of people cross into the United States each year with thousands of border agents struggling to process each of them. Cornyn visited Hidalgo's bridge to Mexico on Tuesday. It's about 30 years old and unequipped to handle the latest in border security.

Cornyn says border towns in the United Statesare safe but that the communities in Mexico are dealing with violent crimes. He says right now border agents are not equipped to keep that violence from seeping into our country. Cornyn says this is affecting our bottom line. Businesses are too scared to relocate to the Valley.

Our international bridges are not built to handle the millions of people who want to come spend money here. The big concerns right now are the drug cartels and the violence they bring as they cross into the United States.

“We are feeling some of the effects of the violence in Mexico in the United States, although the cartels I think are smart and they realize that if they were to actively engage in violent acts in the United States that it would reap a response that that they don't want to provoke,â€