TUCSON – Despite improvements in security along the border, rising violence on the Mexican side calls for even stronger measures, U.S. Sen. John McCain said Thursday.
“The violence level at the border is incredibly high, and we haven’t kept up with that,” McCain said a news conference after joining four GOP congressmen on a two-day border tour.
McCain said he was disappointed by last week’s announcement that National Guard troops will leave the border by June. What the group saw during the tour shows that more troops are needed, he said.
U.S. Reps. Jeff Flake, David Schweikert, Paul Gosar and Ben Quayle of Arizona, who accompanied McCain, agreed that security has marginally improved since last year but that more needs to be done. Their tour of Douglas, Nogales and Yuma included a meeting with the widow and brother of Robert Krentz, a rancher slain last year near the border.
McCain said he and Sen. Jon Kyl will reintroduce their 10-point border security plan, which calls for adding troops, expanding a program that criminally charges those who cross the border illegally and putting a fence along all of Arizona’s border with Mexico.
“After the border is secure and we can assure our citizens of that, we will be fully prepared to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform,” McCain said.
Flake, who is seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl, said virtually everyone who crosses the border today is linked to rings smuggling people and drugs.
“It used to be that those tied to human smuggling or drug smuggling were the exception to the rule,” Flake said. “Now it is the rule.”
Jennifer Allen, executive director of Border Action Network, a community-organizing network based in Tucson, said Flake’s comment is unfounded and that such rhetoric induces unnecessary fear about safety along the border.
“The majority of the people [crossing the border illegally] are folks that are coming here looking to bring some economic stability to themselves and their families’ lives,” Allen said in a telephone interview.
OldLehiLady posted at 2:36 am on Fri, Mar 25, 2011.
Sworn oath? Nah. Sovereignty? Nope. Laws? No they don't matter either. Just have to get busy rewarding lawbreakers who don't deserve to even be here. Ah, heck, the border's secure enough to get started on that Comprehensive Immigration Reform now.
Hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars supporting illegal aliens already? Well yes but we can spend lots more. Surely we can easily at least double that amount.
Unemployment? Well, maybe it will go higher when all the new lawbreakers come across to get a piece of the pie but what the hey.
Resignation? Never consider it.
AZMomma posted at 4:53 am on Fri, Mar 25, 2011.
Jennifer Allen has her head firmly embedded up her ar*se. I doubt if Pedro and Juan, dressed in stolen US Marine uniforms or those mules bringing drugs across the border, or the human-smugglers charging illegals thousands of dollars for a trek across the desert are here to 'make a better life' for themselves or la familia.
They are potentially dangerous, and by being here ILLEGALLY are ripe prey for the criminal element within their own culture.
As for McCain: John, stand up and finally act like a STATESMAN. Protect America, leave a legacy of a vocal, insistent defender of US borders.
As for Flake: He is a political tool. He flops as much as McCain, and as such deserves ridicule and scorn.
Dale Whiting posted at 1:23 pm on Fri, Mar 25, 2011.
John, When campaigning for President, you told us you knew the way to find bin Laden. How much longer are you planning to keep that way secret? Thought so, you don't really know. So why should be believe you know anything about border security?
Slabside posted at 3:09 pm on Fri, Mar 25, 2011.
John, time to retire. You have ignored border security as much as Bush, Obama and Napolitano. Time for some fresh blood in your office.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 11:42 am on Sat, Mar 26, 2011.
When Jon Kyl retires, the front runner may well be U.S. Rep Jeff Flake. He's another Rino like McRino that is talking tough border security now but will switch when it comes time to push for amnesty, after the election of course.
Masterrogue666 posted at 6:55 pm on Wed, Mar 30, 2011.
Gee, "Nappy" seems to think the border is safe.....
myazwi posted at 4:16 pm on Tue, Apr 26, 2011.
McCain is just a blow hart that would send troops everywhere. Thank God this old senile warmonger lost the election