MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz., -- The U.S. House Armed Services Committee held a field hearing here Aug. 2 to address national security and border issues.
The committee met here to get a close look at the complexity of providing border security along the Southwestern border, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, committee chairman. The committee also wanted to know how current security challenges impact the armed forces, both active-duty and National Guard.
Also taking part in the committee were representatives Ken Calvert, of California, Trent Franks, of Arizona, Thelma Drake, of Virginia, G.K. Butterfield, of North Carolina, and Raul Grijalva, of Arizona.
The committee heard testimony from organizations that have been affected by illegal immigration.
The representatives were Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau; Col. Ben D. Hancock, station commanding officer; Jeffrey A. Calhoon, Yuma sector border patrol representative; Maj. Gen. Antonio J. Pineda, national commander of the Civil Air Patrol; and Vivian Juan-Saunders, Tohono O’odham Nation representative.
Hancock told the committee about his work with the border patrol and how they have helped decrease the disruption and trespassing of illegal immigrants on the Barry M. Goldwater training range.
“I think it’s very clear, now, that Yuma is the focus of the entire country because of the central position it takes with respect to this very important challenge,” said Hunter.
The committee also focused heavily on whether or not a border- long fence would be the proper solution, using the success of a border that was constructed in San Diego as a reference.
Fences alone are not the solution, said Calhoon. It may work in highly populated urban areas, but there are areas along the border where a fence could actually interfere with the apprehension of illegal immigrants.
The amount of money spent on a border fence could actually recruit, train, equip and pay the salaries of enough new agents to double the current size of the Border Patrol, wrote Texas Rep. Silvestre Reyes, in a statement to the Armed Forces Committee.
“Our goal is nothing less than to gain, maintain, and expand operational control of our Nation’s borders through the right mix of personnel, technology, and tactical infrastructure,” said Calhoon, who also works for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Department of Homeland Security.
The partnership between the border patrol and the National Guard has proven to be extremely effective in the initial process to secure the border, but a longterm solution will take more time and resources to achieve, said Calhoon.
With the National Guard’s help over the last several weeks, the border patrol was able to apprehend more than 1,200 aliens and 12,200 pounds of Marijuana and move 183 Border Patrol Agents from back offices to the front lines.
Blum told the committee the National Guard would continue to aid the nation as it was needed and assured the committee the National Guard is prepared for any missions the nation requires.
He also emphasized that the guard would not perform law enforcement functions, but military-type jobs such as providing surveillance and constructing deterrent fences.
“Overall, we’re taking major steps by combining all the resources and agencies we have here,” said Grijalva, who is an advocate of border-long fencing. Now it is the committees turn to go to congress and hammer out an agreement to help these agencies continue their efforts protecting this nation, said Grijalva.
The most important thing the nation must do is protect its citizens and find a bipartisan solution that will enable this nation to know who is coming in to the country and why, said Hunter.