McNerney to lead trip to U.S.-Mexico border
By News-Sentinel staff
Updated: Friday, January 11, 2008 11:53 AM PST


Congressman Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, announced today that he will lead a two-day Congressional delegation to the border between California and Mexico.

According to a statement released by McNerney's office, the trip will serve as a "fact-finding" mission for McNerney and others to gain a firsthand perspective from U.S. Border Patrol agents about what is working and what isn't in stemming the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs.

The trip will take place on Sunday and Monday. It will include a briefing on a number of different aspects of the border control operation in the San Diego Sector, which covers 66 linear miles of the international boundary with Mexico, along with a tour of a portion of the border and meetings with border patrol agents. The trip will include tours of several ports of entry along the border, a meeting with the San Diego sector chief, and an introduction to the various specialty teams and the equipment used to monitor and patrol the border.

"Illegal immigration and drug trafficking are significant problems," McNerney said in the statement. "This trip to the border is important because you can only understand so much from reading the newspaper, watching television, or even reading briefings or hearing testimony from experts. Sometimes, it's important to actually go and see it for yourself.

"In particular, I am looking forward to talking to Border Patrol Agents and California National Guard troops who serve on the front lines."


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