McCaul Presses Border Patrol Chief On Virtual Fence, National Guard Troops

Press Release

Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX 10) pressed the head of the U.S. Border Patrol for a more rapid response to security concerns along the U.S.-Mexico border, particularly in Texas. The Department of Homeland Security's SBInet includes technology for a virtual fence to secure America's borders. However, the technology will not be online in Texas until at least 2014. Meanwhile, the state's request for 1,000 National Guard troops to help patrol the border has gone unanswered by the Obama administration.

"My constituents and the American people want this done and they don't want to wait five years to see this thing completed," Rep. McCaul told U.S. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar during a Homeland Security subcommittee hearing Thursday. "If we can't get this technology done by the year 2014 it seems to me it's a good idea to get more human resources down there on the border."

"Absolutely," Chief Aguilar agreed. "Any kind of capability we can get down to the border as fast as possible is going to help us secure our border."

Governor Rick Perry's request for the National Guard troops, backed by Rep. McCaul, has yet to garner a formal response from DHS.

"We're spending a great deal of money up here in Washington and yet we still can't get this border situation under control," McCaul added. "It seems to me we ought to be investing more technology to get this thing done, more rapidly than 2014."

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