New Secretary of Homeland Security tours San Ysidro border
POSTED 6:41 AM, FEBRUARY 10, 2017, BY CITY NEWS SERVICE, ARIC RICHARDS AND ABBEY GIBB, UPDATED AT 08:24PM, FEBRUARY 10, 2017
SAN YSIDRO, Calif. -- New Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly toured the San Ysidro Port of Entry Friday, continuing a tour of the international border in the southwestern U.S.
https://tribkswb.files.wordpress.com...trip=all&w=300
US Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly speaks at San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Kelly met with department employees and state and local officials, toured security operations and discussed the administration's efforts to improve border security.
In a news conference Friday, Kelly touched on President Trump's travel ban, saying the country needed a stronger vetting process.
He would not go into specifics about the proposed border wall, saying he's focused on strengthening relations with each border city and with Mexico.
Kelly also met with San Diego Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman, who told FOX 5 the meeting was "productive" and "it's no mistake we're one of the safest border towns in the country."
The 40-year veteran, who served three tours in Iraq, said during his confirmation hearing that a simple barrier -- like the wall that President Donald Trump wants to build -- won't be enough to stop the flow of drugs and migrants.
His nomination was confirmed Jan. 20 in an 88-11 Senate vote.
Last week, the retired Marine Corps general visited Rio Grande Valley in Texas. On Thursday, he met with state and local law enforcement officials at the border crossing at Nogales, Arizona, and with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
He spoke with law enforcement officials from Arizona's four border counties about the proposed border wall, a hallmark of Trump's presidential campaign, and sought input on border security, according to the Arizona Republic.
Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier said law enforcement leaders finally had "a receptive ear."
"We talked about the value of technology in some areas and physical structures in others, but there's a lot to be vetted out in that," Napier said. There's a whole lot of distance between an executive action and some political rhetoric and actual policy implementation at the local level."
Pima County's 125-mile-long international border is well known for drug and human trafficking, the Arizona Republic reported.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said that a lot was still up in the air regarding the wall , according to the Arizona Republic.
"I think that's still an open question, being that we're unique all along the border from San Diego to Brownsville," Estrada said. "It requires different approaches. In some places, you may not even need a wall."
http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/02/10/n...it-san-ysidro/
