DHS Cmte: McCaul Tours Arizona Border with Senate Homeland Chair; Renews Call for Measuring Progress with Outcomes

Press Release

U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) toured the Arizona-Mexico border on Monday with Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE). The Chairmen's respective committees have oversight jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for securing America's borders. The bipartisan, bicameral visit included meetings with a variety of stakeholders in Tucson and Douglas, AZ, including DHS officials, local law enforcement, border mayors, and local ranchers and farmers.

Chairman McCaul: "Gaining operational control of our borders is not optional; it is a prerequisite to immigration reform and the only way to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Our men and women charged with protecting the sovereignty of our nation will only gain operational control of our borders with a national strategy based on outcomes. We cannot measure progress based solely on resources and arrests without knowing the number that cross our borders undetected. Redeploying advanced surveillance technology used in Iraq and Afghanistan will give our law enforcement the big picture they need to allow for a new metric to define progress.

"These are the guiding principles for legislation I plan to introduce to compel the Department of Homeland Security to create and implement a strategy that includes measurable progress. Those of us from border states have long understood this need. The fact that Chairman Carper has designated border security as a priority for his committee makes me optimistic that the bipartisan political will exists to finally accomplish this goal."

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