House Members to Conduct Border Study

Las Cruces, NM (January 30, 2011) This week, Congressman Steve Pearce will join other U.S. Representatives in a congressional delegation studying border security in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Mr. Pearce is expected to be the only member of the delegation from a border district, and is eager to draw a spotlight of national attention to the violence and exploitation that occur along the border.

“For too long, Democrats and Republicans in Washington have given lip-service to the disturbing situation at our borders,” said Pearce. “Their response has been inadequate and it is time to act. I look forward to joining my colleagues to see firsthand the changes we face along our borders. Ideally, these visits and meetings will help to bring about focused and responsible solutions from Washington. I want to help get beyond the beltway rhetoric of border security, and work toward solutions that reflect the complexity of the problem. Lives are at stake on the border, and lives have already been lost.”

The security issues at the border are numerous.

Drug cartels operate in the area with increasing power and boldness, feeding a culture of rampant violence. Illegal drugs and weapons flow across the border each day. Human traffickers, too, thrive on inaction, preying upon countless innocent victims. Our nation’s enemies, including terrorists, are known to exploit our weaknesses at the border. For the sake of national security, policies are needed that address every aspect of the crisis. In addition, the millions of undocumented immigrants who take advantage of weak border security must be addressed. The issues created by a porous border range from vast administrative and safety issues in the United States to environmental damage in heavily-travelled areas.

Steve Pearce

The delegation, led by Rep. Phil Gingrey from Georgia, will tour border sites in El Paso before visiting Columbus, New Mexico, to discuss border security with local ranchers, residents and business owners in a public hearing to be held at noon on Tuesday, February 1 at the Columbus Community Center, 500 N. Broadway Ave. The group will also visit Playas, New Mexico, to review training methods for border security personnel. The delegation will meet with members of both the Retired Border Patrol Officers’ Association and local officials, including Hispanic civic leaders, while touring sections of the border.

House Members to Conduct Border Study