Building more walls between the United States and Mexico will not boost border security, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday.
The Texas Republican toured the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge and visited Anzalduas Park during an all-day visit to the Rio Grande Valley.
Cornyn also met with Mission Mayor Norberto “Beto” Salinas, McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, Superintendent of Bridges Rigo Villarreal and Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla, who heads the Rio Grande Valley Sector.
Cornyn brought Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, along for a firsthand look at trade and security issues.
Asked about the border wall — a hot topic during the Republican presidential primary — Cornyn said he didn’t favor new fencing.
“It’s more than just physical obstacles,” Cornyn said. “It’s people. It’s the boots on the ground. And it’s the technology.
“We had the opportunity to see the aerostats now that have been fairly recently deployed and see the great advantage that that gives to our Border Patrol and law enforcement authorities in terms of managing the border,” Cornyn said.
During the visit, Cornyn said he wanted to emphasize that trade with Mexico is vital to the U.S. economy.
“When people talk about the border, so often I think they forget the advantages of our proximity to Mexico,” Cornyn said. “Six million jobs in the U.S. depend on bi-national trade between the U.S. and Mexico.”
