Thread: Ben Sasse visits Texas to get firsthand look at border security

Posted: Friday, February 6, 2015 11:45 pm

By Joseph Morton / World-Herald Bureau

WASHINGTON — Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., is spending his weekend in Texas to check out the security situation.

“I am eager to see firsthand the challenges our Border Patrol agents face on our southern border,” Sasse said in a statement.

Sasse is a member of the Homeland Security Committee. He will be traveling with Chairman Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Tom Carper of Delaware, the top Democrat on the panel.

The trip comes as Congress wrestles with what to do about a looming deadline for funding the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers have until the end of the month to pass the spending bill, which has been mired in a partisan standoff over immigration policy.

The House approved the funding bill last month after an amendment added language rolling back the president’s executive actions to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation.

This week, the Senate voted three times on the House proposal. Each time, Republicans failed to overcome a filibuster by Democrats, who object to the immigration provisions.

Sasse said he’s optimistic that this weekend’s border trip will provide information that will help find solutions for securing the border.

The trio will visit Corpus Christi, Hidalgo and McAllen, meeting with local ranchers, sheriffs and Border Patrol agents.

They also plan to observe an unmanned aircraft system operation, visit a port of entry and tour a Border Patrol station.

Earlier this week, Sasse joined Johnson in sending a letter to the Treasury inspector general asking whether the president’s executive actions will allow those in the country illegally to receive the federal earned income tax credit.

The tax break is targeted to help low-income workers.

“We are concerned that because the president’s new rules would let millions of people access these programs for the first time, the cost to the taxpayer could be billions of dollars,” they wrote.

In addition, Sasse suggested, allowing them to get the tax credits might result in additional illegal immigration.

http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/b...e74d12852.html

Posted By Chuck Ross On 1:21 PM 02/07/2015 In | 1 Comment

Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border at Texas for a “Learning Tour” on Saturday and took pictures which show just how porous the U.S. border really is.

Sasse, who rode in a Customs and Border Protection helicopter along with Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, came across at least two groups of five men trying to cross into the U.S.

According to Sasse, a Republican, his main concern is thwarting “jihad-minded migrants.”

The pictures, which he posted to Twitter, show the shallow and easily navigable Rio Grande River as well as an incomplete border fence.

Busted. Another five(?) guys turn back from crossing at the site of our CBP helicopter: pic.twitter.com/IghRcexsn6

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



In the trees (Mexican side) are 5 guys+1 raft. They pulled back when saw our helicopter. Our pilot assumes no drugs pic.twitter.com/XS4GDYjb2x

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



Pieces of a very incomplete wall.Raises lots of Qs. Hard to get coherent answers on why partial wall, vs. All or None pic.twitter.com/g3rX43TWa0

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



Nothing deeper than knee deep right here right now. Understatement of our pilot: “Tough for BPATROL to stop this” pic.twitter.com/yIWFs2E9ez

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



Mexico on your left; Texas on the right. Quote here: “It’s really the Rio Pequeno River — nothing ‘Grande’” pic.twitter.com/uvk5ANZ6Gg

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



@SenatorCarper asks right Qs: If u were drug cartel posing as fisherm, how wld u get in? (Answer isn’t classified; shld be. It’s too easy)

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



Sasse wrote that before he and Carper went up in the helicopter, he spoke with two dozen Texas ranchers to get their thoughts on the issue.

One rancher in Brooks County told him that border-crossers have damaged his fences 13 times over the past year. Repair costs average $1,000 each time. Besides that, the rancher told Sasse that cattle often escape and venture onto the highway.

According to Sasse, Brooks County sheriff Benny Martinez showed him pictures of bodies that have been found in the county. Martinez told the senator that 435 bodies have been discovered in the county — which has a population of 8,000 — over the past two years.

Before his tour, Sasse laid out what he hoped to learn. His main concerns, he wrote, are “jihad-minded migrants.” He also wanted to find out more about the work of Customs and Border Protection agents.

#5: @SenatorCarper (lead Dem), and I are exploring SW border w/ BordPatrol & other DHS workers. I’ll tweet a bit but my purpose won’t be par

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



#6: won’t be partisan politics. Instead my 2 main reasons for coming here r to understand biggest threats to natl. security along this long

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



#7: long border (my biggest fear is jihadi-minded migrants); & workers who do the dusty,complicated work of protecting us. I’m obv’ly also

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015



Sasse, a father of three, also wrote that he hoped to meet with some of the children who crossed the border during last year’s massive immigration wave.

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/07/ne...o-border-tour/

These are the pics, interesting..

Busted. Another five(?) guys turn back from crossing at the site of our CBP helicopter: pic.twitter.com/IghRcexsn6

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015

Ben SasseVerified account‏@BenSasse

Busted. Another five(?) guys turn back from crossing at the site of our CBP helicopter:
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9:38 AM - 7 Feb 2015

In the trees (Mexican side) are 5 guys+1 raft. They pulled back when saw our helicopter. Our pilot assumes no drugs pic.twitter.com/XS4GDYjb2x

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015

Ben SasseVerified account‏@BenSasse

In the trees (Mexican side) are 5 guys+1 raft. They pulled back when saw our helicopter. Our pilot assumes no drugs
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Pieces of a very incomplete wall.Raises lots of Qs. Hard to get coherent answers on why partial wall, vs. All or None pic.twitter.com/g3rX43TWa0

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015

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Nothing deeper than knee deep right here right now. Understatement of our pilot: “Tough for BPATROL to stop this” pic.twitter.com/yIWFs2E9ez
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015

Ben SasseVerified account‏@BenSasse

Nothing deeper than knee deep right here right now. Understatement of our pilot: "Tough for BPATROL to stop this"
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Mexico on your left; Texas on the right. Quote here: “It’s really the Rio Pequeno River — nothing ‘Grande’” pic.twitter.com/uvk5ANZ6Gg

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) February 7, 2015

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Ben SasseVerified account‏@BenSasse

Mexico on your left; Texas on the right. Quote here: "It's really the Rio Pequeno River -- nothing 'Grande'"
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https://twitter.com/BenSasse/status/...845376/photo/1

Thank you for posting the pics also Newmexican.

You are welcome Jean.