Securing America’s Border: Lessons from Texas

By Representative Steve Tanner, Idaho Freedom Caucus Member

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend a two-day Border School class in McAllen, Texas. This event was sponsored by Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The event brought together sheriffs, Border Patrol agents, attorneys, and legislators from across the country to learn firsthand about the realities of securing America’s southern border. The two-day event included:

Day One: Comprehensive intel briefings focused on the urgent need to reform U.S. immigration policy.

Day Two: Intensive field visits which took us to various problems areas. We toured key sections of the border, rode with Border Patrol and Texas State Police on boats along the Rio Grande River, and observed strategic locations used to monitor illegal crossings. We visited sections of President Trump’s border wall and areas where, during the Biden administration, illegal immigrants were massed, processed, and bussed across the country.

We were informed that drug cartels are using drones to monitor Border Patrol movements, and got to witness the advanced anti-drone technologies that US agents use to intercept and neutralize these threats.

Several presenters estimated that 40–50 million illegal immigrants entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. At just one processing location we toured, officials reported an average of 3,000 people were released into the U.S. each day during Biden’s tenure. That is approximately 30,000 per month from that site alone!

Under President Trump’s current “seal and repel” policy, the border is far more secure, but cartels are adapting, finding new smuggling routes and expanding their operations inside the U.S. Law enforcement officials shared alarming examples of Chinese, Ukrainian, and Bulgarian cartels establishing networks in Oklahoma, and legislators from Maine described similar cartel activity flowing in from Canada.

A key point raised repeatedly: Local sheriffs are critical in the fight against illegal activity. The 287(g) program, which allows sheriffs to partner with ICE, can be a powerful tool. Unfortunately, some counties decline to participate, often due to funding challenges. Where cartels gain a foothold, they bring weapons, drugs, human trafficking, money laundering, and violence.

My biggest takeaway was clear: Time is critical to make our borders permanently secure. Multiple speakers from this event warned that another Biden-style administration would “fundamentally change” America. An unchecked influx of illegal immigration will reshape the cultural and political fabric of this nation. We will deal with the devasting affects from the 40-50 million illegals who entered over the last four years and it will likely take decades to fully understand their adverse impacts to our great nation.

We as legislators often hear arguments that Idaho’s agriculture and dairy industries rely on illegal labor to keep prices down. This is poor reason to “look the other way” and employ illegal aliens. This “cheap labor” mentality fails to take in to account the compounding negative impacts on the financial, governmental, health care and social aspects of Idaho and our country. In addition, cartel expansion and rising criminal activity will impact us all.

Idaho State Representative Steve Tanner, District 13