U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., made headlines and raised eyebrows Tuesday when he declared “the border is secure.”
Reid cited New Mexico senator and fellow Democrat Martin Heinrich as the source for his statement as the country deals with tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors. Most are coming from Central America, crossing the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
Wednesday, Heinrich reiterated Reid’s statement.
“The border today is more secure than it has ever been,” Heinrich said on the Senate floor as members of both parties gave speeches about the crisis.
“The notion that lax border policies are somehow responsible for this latest crisis is not just a myth, it’s a willful misrepresentation driven by politicians who would rather create a political issue than to solve a very real problem,” Heinrich said.
Heinrich, who visited the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, N.M., last week and met with Homeland Security Department Secretary Jeh Johnson, sent a statement to New Mexico Watchdog through his press office saying the federal government spent $17.9 billion on immigration enforcement in fiscal 2012.
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