We need a wall. We Need it now!

This weekend, I joined eight other members of Congress at our Southern Border in Arizona for a two day border tour. We spoke with border patrol agents, ranchers and law enforcement officials. During our tour we heard first hand the destruction and dangers that comes with open borders and loopholes in our immigration laws.

Ranchers shared stories about the day to day reality of illegal aliens using their land as drug and human trafficking routes. They walked us through how these criminal organizations use our open borders and their land to make billions.

We also spoke with Border Patrol agents who shared stories detailing the changes they have seen in the past couple of years. They noted that one of the biggest changes they are seeing is the shift in the illegals aliens attitude. Instead of fleeing they are fighting. Illegal aliens have become emboldened by the advocation of open borders the democrats have promoted.

Over the last five years, we have seen a 2,000% increase in asylum claims
We have seen a 50 percent rise in family units coming to our southern border
98 percent of these family units will stay in our country.
In the El Paso, Rio Grande Valley, Tucson, and Yuma Sectors over the last four months, smugglers and traffickers have delivered 53 large groups, totaling 8,797 illegal aliens.

This isn’t just lawmakers in Washington saying we have a crisis at our southern border. This is people who live the reality of it every day. These are the ranchers and individuals whose livelihood has been taken from them because open border advocates have chosen to protect illegal aliens instead of the citizens they represent.

Republicans have taken action and provided a solution. Democrats have not. Ignoring this crisis diminishes the Americans and migrants who have fallen victim to the crimes committed by illegal aliens, or are harmed because of illegal drugs flowing across the border.

Our job is to protect our own citizens. Our country. The President's proposal echoes the very need border patrol agents tell us first hand they need. We need a wall and we need it now.

No real American citizen should live in fear that they will be killed by a criminal illegal alien. This problem is 100 percent preventable. Our border patrol agents shouldn’t be left begging our government for the proper tools to stop illegal criminal aliens, drug smugglers, sex traffickers and bad hombres.

We can do better. We have to do better.

It’s time for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to come to the table and put the needs of the American people first.