Posted: Mar 24, 2011 3:11 PM
Updated: Mar 24, 2011 8:11 PM
TUCSON - Senator John McCain joined four Republican state representatives in Tucson today to tour the U.S.-Mexico border and discuss security and the federal government's role in securing the U.S. borders.
McCain says there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure Arizona's borders are secure. He is upset that the federal government plans to withdraw National Guard troops from the border on June 30, he thinks this is too early and there is work that still needs to be done.
"Every place we go, and we've talked to the people on the border, and here...the work that the National Guard is doing is vital, and it needs to be be increased rather than decreased," McCain says.
A representative for the Department of Homeland Security stated the following: ""We agree with Sen. McCain and his Congressional colleagues that there have been improvements along the border, and we agree that work remains to be done. That is why this administration continues to commit an unprecedented level of personnel, resources, and technology to the Southwest border as we have over the past two years."
The DHS representative also says that in addition to National Guard troops, they have doubled the number of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, quintupled deployments of Border Liaison Officers, and introduced many new technology assets to the border.
Stay tuned to News 4 Tucson this evening for a full report on the Republican delegation's visit to Tucson.
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