100 percent border security of the USA is not possible.
This is the only man anyone needs to talk to about our southern border. He is dedicated and maximizes the ability of border mitigation with the budget available to him.
He stated he has the fiscal capacity to handle 400,000 border crossings per year and his department lives up to it every year.
There are others on the panel that spoke and answered questions, but, the panel didn't really start to open up to their expertise until Representative Kerry Bentiviolio began his inquiry to the panel. Rep. Bentiviolio is a Michigan Republican, but, he knows his stuff. The only part of this hearing begins at 2:35:43. Everyone else on the panel was worried about numbers that don't exist and how their constituents are going to feel and vote if the southern border isn't secure.
The actual numbers Mr. Homan talks about is interesting. There is just so much that can be done on a budget, but, he does it well. There is no doubt the southern border is a fluid place. But, before I comment on that there are the numbers which are more than interesting.
Mr. Homan's department PROCESSED 475,000 persons last year. Of those processed 410,000 were RETURNED to their homelands. Of the 410,000 returned to their homelands, 225,000 were CONVICTED CRIMINALS. Of the 185,000 returned that were not convicted criminals 96% were FREQUENT FLYERS (my term, not his). In other words, of the non-convicted crossers 96% had crossed and been caught before. Now, get this when a crosser is caught for the second time they can be charged with a felony and they become convicted criminals.
So, it is safe to say the ACTUAL crossers that haven't been here is about 7400 people per year. Our laws create the criminals in many instances. Not to understate the danger, there is incredible danger and that bring this issue to the real assault against the USA from it's southern border.
The dangerous part of the southern border is drug cartels. The Border Patrol has no strategy for drug cartels. The problem can be best understood by the plight of the district represented by Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (click here). Her district suffers from the highest drug addiction rate in the USA while receiving the least coverage by the border policies. The reason she states this is the case is because her physical border with Mexico is the shortest and it is not actively pursued as a threat.
I am saying the US Border Patrol isn't doing their jobs. The success of Mr. Homan is due to the good work of the Border Patrol. The real problem with being a Border Patrol Officer is staying alive. They are targets of the drug cartels. The drug cartels are definitely the issue when it comes to dangers of the borders, not the sincerely poor that seek a better promise in life by coming to work in the USA. Those folks are here and add their own problems within the USA, with labor and health needs and public health concerns.
But, the real dangers lie with the cartels. Currently, the cartels are using gliders to fly over the border to drop their cargo and then fly back to the Mexican side of the border. They never touch USA soil. The Border Patrol have videos of these gliders (and they are manned) carrying out their deliveries, but, have no methodology to interrupt them. The roll of the Border Patrol in regard to the gliders is currently just surveillance. Isn't this the measure passed when Rep. Gabby Giffords was nearly killed. This measure was the substitute for gun reform. Right? Well, it doesn't do much.
Congresswoman Robin Lynne Kelly had many good questions about the process the Border Patrol uses to assess the border. The assessment of the border is important. It is that assessment that directs the Border Patrol to ACTIVE areas where there seems to be a blitz of people crossing. Currently, they are most interested in Arizona's west desert. That is where activity has picked up as of this hearing.
This is the really interesting part though. It is the one place on the border where the Border Patrol feels most in control and feels most confident. The southwest border where California has their three fences with ground sensors. The Border Patrols stand in towers to do their surveillance. It is the southwest border where they are most effective and are reasonably safe in their jobs.
Now, there is a completely separate issue that annoys Congressman Chaffetz. That is the legal border crossings. There are something like 4 plus million B1 and B2 Visas (click here) that have been issued by the USA. These folks are suppose to be temporarily permitted into the USA. They are non-resident visas. There is a restriction on their ability to travel into the country. It was 10 miles, now it is 25 miles and in New Mexico it is 55 miles from the USA border. These visas are used frequently by people that travel from a Mexican border city to the USA for work and then returns after work.
Rep. Chaffetz is upset because there is no number count of people leaving the USA on any particular day. Evidently, the Border Patrol has concentrated on whom is coming into the country and has a tighter presence on the north bound lane than the south bound lane. There are statistics for the north bound lane but none for the south bound lane. That is a problem for Mr. Chaffetz because he wants to know that everyone coming north is then going south.
Rep. Chaffetz's expectation of limiting the TIME of these visas in the country is unrealistic. There is temporal limit to these visas, there are only distance. So, if someone has a visa and works in the USA and has car problems they might not be returning to their home in Mexico and have to stay with friends or whatever until their transportation issue is solved. That person will still be legally in the USA so long as they are the limited number of miles from the border.
'The idea' there should be equal counts coming and going from the country on any one day is unrealistic. Not only that but the travel over the border crossing may happen everyday or once a week. The only focus of the Border Patrol should be limiting the number of people crossing to those that have legal visas to do so.
It is safe to say the USA Border Patrol and ICE is doing everything they can do to protect our southern border. The drug cartels are at war in Mexico with the government, we have that war visiting our country. The violence along the border proves that. Quite frankly, short of militarizing the southern border there is no way of absolutely keeping up with the insult.
The monies aren't there and the personnel aren't there. The one area of the border where the Border Patrol believes they are most effective and safe is a huge effort to place fence, three rows to be exact, and ground sensors along with mini-drones. That is a lot of money and a huge deployment of personnel.
Today, that effort is not possible and the expectations of this country to obtain that level of obstruction to crossing is not planned. The TRUE problem that is still not solved on the southwest border where the Border Patrol believes they are most effective is the fact it is the ONE place there are more TUNNELS than anywhere else along the border.
So, there you have it. The idea this country can secure an airtight border by 100% as some of the committee members expect is not possible. We have wonderful people working to keep this country safe. The Border Patrol and ICE are not the problem, they are conducting the work asked of them without putting themselves into a war zone with Mexican Drug Cartels that will kill them. We should not be asking them to wage a war that has not been declared. That is an outrageous idea and unrealistic goal for our country.
The US House will fail to pass immigration reform if this level of extremism is expected. 100% prevention is not possible even under the best of circumstances for OUR Border Patrol officers.
