Sen. Udall Speaks Out Against President Trump’s Unnecessary and Ineffective Border Wall on Senate Floor

As a senator from a border state state, the borders with the country of Mexico with a message from my States proud border communities. We will not stand by as the President threatens to shut down the government in an act of political extortion as the President tries to force the American people to pay for his border Wall, a Wall that would run right through new Mexico and through so many of the communities and ecosystems, to define our state. I am The mexicans, all along the border and all across our state who are calling on the President to stop playing politics with our border communities with the federal budget and with taxpayer dollars new Mexico and other border States have the most at stake in this fight and we will be heard last week. We learned of a terrible tragedy along the border just uh on December the seven year old girl from guatemala jacqueline call Mark King died from septic shock fever and dehydration, while in customs and border protection, custody, the sadness of the loss of this little girl coming to our country with their father in search of safety cannot be overstated. It is truly heartbreaking I've called upon Secretary nielsen customs and Protection Commissioner, mclean and the office of inspector general to immediately and thoroughly investigate the circumstances of jacqueline staff. All facts must be brought to light so that no families ever have this kind of tragedy. Again. Jacqueline and her father turned themselves in to cb P pe near a remote port of entry in new Mexico that port of entry, called antelope Wells which was closed at the time by the Jacqueline received adequate medical care. It was too late instead of demanding massive resources for an ineffective Wall. The President should direct the Department of homeland security to provide border stations and cp officers with the resources necessary to meet the basic needs of children and other vulnerable individuals. The trump administration's cruel policy of delaying immigrants at commonly used ports of entry for weeks and months at a time, inevitably results in asylum seekers taking more dangerous routes in remote areas. Instead of The humanitarian crisis at the border by refusing to process asylum seekers, the President should direct d hs to meet the spirit of the asylum laws and begin trading. Those fleeing persecution and violence with the dignity and respect that they deserve. This administration has failed repeatedly to live up to our values as a nation when it comes to immigration. Sadly, there are Tragic human consequences to the administration's inhumane immigration policies, this week we in Congress find ourselves in a familiar position. Once again, the President says he will shut down the federal government unless we appropriate billions of dollars for his border Wall. This obvious political ploy aimed at his narrowing base is the same tired and hateful refrain that issues He launched his campaign for President the president's anti immigrant attacks are now a staple in his political toolbox. They are no surprise but Congress should not give in to the president's latest anti immigration. Tantrum a tantrum that is not based in reality and that fundamentally lacks the support of the American people. There's been a lot of talk about the border here in Washington, a lot of talk about what the border needs from a President Doesn't know the first thing about our border communities. I proudly represent a border state, a state the chairs, a hundred and eighty miles of border with Mexico, a state that is in many ways defined by our border a measure police strengthened by our relationships with our southern neighbor by our immigrant heritage and by communities and ecosystems, to dot every mile along the border. I know Communities I hear the hopes and concerns of new mexico's families and businesses that form the fabric of those border communities. Let there be no equivocally dieing new mexico's border communities emphatically reject the president's unnecessary, ineffective and offensive Wall. 36 communities across new Mexico California Arizona Have passed resolutions opposing a Wall along their borders and poll after poll shows that the American people from Coast to Coast and from border to border do not support this Wall. People in new Mexico and across the nation want humane immigration policies continued community ties and economic activity between Mexico in our nation and smart border security that will actually make us safer, not enough An effective Wall and not insulting attacks on mexicans and Central Americans. The American people reject the president's latest take. It or leave it demand that they pay five billion dollars for his Wall, a Wall, a vowed during his campaign that Mexico would pay for a Wall that will not stop illegal immigration. A Wall that would stand before all the world as a symbol of division, fear And hostility There is little disagreement in the halls of Congress are among the American people that we want smart border security that our immigration laws need to be reformed and that we want to stop illegal drugs from coming into the country. But we do disagree and strongly on how to effectively achieve those goals with limited taxpayer dollars the President would have us believe that hordes of dangerous criminals have Under siege, this is one of his countless misrepresentations to the American people. The American people have had enough of misinformation of blatant distortions. It's time for some facts. The fact is the numbers of border apprehensions are down significantly since the early two thousand southern border apprehensions have drop eighty one percent in fact, the number of apprehensions at the end of fiscal year 20 17 was the lowest it's been since 19 71 lowest Since 19 71 and we have the lowest number of undocumented immigrants in our country than we've had in over a decade, the pew research Center released estimates just this month that the total number of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States is far less now than in two thousand. For a 14 year low and the numbers from Mexico people who the President insults as rapist and Have decreased even more dramatically so who are the people coming to our southern border. Apprehensions between ports of entry consist largely of family units. Turning themselves in for asylum, fleeing the terror in their home countries. They're crossing between ports in part because th ese obstacles to asylum at ports of entry, including inadequate resources for staffing and infrastructure at our ports, metering Trying to claim asylum and the ever increasing trump manufactured wait times so given the number of southern border apprehensions, is at a alltime low and the makeup of our southern border crossings. Now is not the time to raid taxpayer funded coffers for a boondoggle of a Wall. Now is the time to begin talking across the aisle about how to meaningfully address the root causes of immigration from Central America and Not only that border walls have not been shown to effectively increase security or to reduce smuggling or improper entry in 20 17 the government. Accountability office found that customs and border protection could not demonstrate the border walls had any measurable impact on border secured finding and this is from ds a d H s and I quote, not developed metrics for this assessment as D H s Secretary joann, the paula tunnel said quote, show me a 50 foot Wall and I'll show you a 51 foot ladder walls are not only offensive. They're ineffective while the effectiveness of the president's Wall is in question. The extraordinary high cost or not the Department of homeland security estimates the cost would be 21 point six billion dollars the Democratic staff of the Senate homeland, security and government Affairs Committee estimates 70 billion dollars and Costs are only to build the Wall any Wall would have to be maintained. Studies estimate maintenance cost would reach 100 to 100 and 50 million dollars a year and just as troubling G Al concluded the d H s is not responsibly spending the funds already allocated for the Wall gao reported that quote, d hs faces an increase risk that the border Wall system program will cost more than projected take longer than plan and not Perform as expected in fact, the hs blew past its September nineteenth deadline to submit a risk based border security plan as the law requires. There is no accountability here and worse yet, while the President ups, his demand to five billion dollars for a Wall d hs hasn't, even spent its funds for border barriers the in the previous year's budget the Only spent six percent of the funds provided on this. Boondoggle since 20 17 it hasn't even obligated 900 million dollars of its last one point six billion appropriation. The President ignore ge th s his failure to spend the money it's been given while the demands three point four billion more than his own budget request. This is pure extortion. We should categorically reject the president's demand for five billion dollars for the Wall and we should reject Proposal for a slush fund for the President to use to implement his anti immigrant agenda mb of course, Americans are no longer surprised by this administration's other hypocrisy when it comes to fiscal responsibility. But the president's demand for billions of unnecessary funds for his Wall is a particularly galling and offensive example and it should be called out and budget after budget the trump administration says we can't afford to provide for Americans health care To provide for environmental protection to provide for quality education for our kids to provide for those in society who are struggling. The most, but the President says we can't afford to throw billions and billions of dollars on a symbolic and wasteful boondoggle of a Wall. That's billions of dollars that could be spent on the priorities that new mexicans in America the American people actually value like good jobs, good health care and good education Backwards doesn't, even begin to describe this administration's priorities. The Republicans claim to be fiscal conservatives, but time and time again they show themselves to be fictional. Conservatives. They want to spend billions on a Wall that doesn't work. They passed tax relief for the wealthy living, working and Middle class Americans high and dry and create massive deficits the American taxpayer will be paying off in the years to come. This is not Conservatism, this is the epitome of fiscal responsibility, but the Wall isn't just wasteful and unnecessary. It would also do serious harm to the border region while a border Wall won't effectively address border security. It will disrupt border communities hurt international trade interfere with private property rights and damage to habitat and wildlife much of the land along the border is privately owned and some for Generations approximately 40 900 parcels are at risk. The trump administration is already seizing private property through eminent domain to build its Wall homes could be confiscated farms ruined. Neighbors cut off from one another to build. The Wall d. Hs has waived almost 50 laws that protect the public and protect the environment, including the endangered species act the clean water act the native American Protection and repatriate Asian act among others. This proposed funding targets, the border, along the Rio Grand which is the home to a biologically diverse and rich environment. I have traveled to this area last winter. I canoe that part of the wild and scenic Rio Grand in big bend National Park along the Texas, new Mexico border. this I saw a new documentary called the River and the Wall that showed the stunning real Grand Valley and part of our trip, adding 65 miles a border barrier through the lower Rio Grand Valley would damage this area of profound environmental and ecological significance. Awol harms ecosystems disrupts wildlife migration patterns, blocks vital Wildlife access to food and water and fragments wild life communities. These photos show the problems pose to wildlife This is why life here blocked by a fence here's fencing that was previously here that allows the wildlife to get through animals can't get over or through the border Wall. They're stopped in their tracks for many animals fragmented habitat is led to their endangerment chopping up their territory pushes them closer to extinction. Now that's the conclusion of career biologist and wildlife managers at the us fish Service they warned in a draft letter to see pb that the Wall threatens already endangered wildlife according to them, a Wall is vulnerable to catastrophic. This is a quote catastrophic natural flood events leaving wildlife trapped behind the Wall to drowned or star ff. They recommend that the vp consider technology and under other resources and mechanisms when possible instead of installing walls the Washington post reported last week the Secretary saying he made it known that fish and wildlife needed to quote support the Security mission end quote and so fish and wildlife higher up scrub the career scientists recommendations in the final letter to see P pb on the impacts of the Wall, science has a hard time competing with politics in the trump administration to sum it up the president's border Wall won't have any effect on the number of migrants showing up at our border daily it will not deter migrants from making the dangerous journey to cross between our ports of entry, whether they're fleeing from the horrific violence and person Persecution in their home countries. It is wildly expensive the Wall hurts the communities and economies along our border. It takes away use and enjoyment of property from private landowners and a jeopardize is the environment and wildlife so why does the President want this Wall it's only discernible purpose is this is as a political symbol and offensive and a popular symbol, a symbol the No longer welcomes the tired poor and huddled masses that we close our doors to refugees and asylum seekers. That we fear the world and our shrinking from our position as a beacon of hope for people everywhere. Mr President, I have several additional remarks that I would ask consent to insert in the record as if spoken instruction. Thank you mister President and I would done nope Coral Clerk will call the room mister Alexander