Unfortunately, it’s become clear that our immigration system is broken.  America has a long and proud history of welcoming legal immigrants to our shores, but illegal immigration has become a serious problem.  Violence caused by the drug trade is also threatening the safety of communities along the border, a problem we must address.  Every country has a responsibility to secure its borders and we need a common sense approach to immigration policy that begins at our borders.  

To better understand the border crisis, I went to San Diego to tour operations along a 60-mile sector of the U.S.-Mexico border.  Our Border Patrol agents are well-trained, dedicated professionals caught in a challenging and complex environment.  But despite their professionalism, they are short-staffed and need more resources.  That is why I support increased funding for our border patrol and investment in surveillance and enforcement technology. 

We also need an immigration policy that is tough, fair, and practical.  Rather than playing politics with the issue, we need reform that provides greater enforcement and actually seeks to solve the problem.  We should improve enforcement and strengthen penalties for employers and contractors who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, manage seasonal labor programs for local agriculture effectively, and develop a stronger system to monitor and crack down on illegal trafficking at our borders.