Our nation 's greatest and most obvious vulnerability remains our porous and unprotected southern land border. Yet every day, unknown numbers of human and drug smugglers, criminals and potential terrorists continue to illegally enter the United States through our border with Mexico.
The exposure of our southern border demands that we take immediate action to implement the most effective enforcement mechanisms available. And while technology and manpower are an important part of this effort, the best and most effective method of preventing illegal foot and vehicle traffic from entering the United States is border security fencing.
In San Diego County, border fencing remains a critical part of our effort to prevent and deter illegal immigrants and drug smugglers from entering the local community. Since construction of the San Diego border fence began in 1996, the smuggling of people and narcotics has dropped drastically; crime rates have been reduced by half, according to FBI statistics; vehicle drug drive-throughs have been eliminated; and apprehensions have decreased as the result of fewer crossing attempts.
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In fact, the San Diego border fence is serving to benefit both sides of the border. As conditions in San Diego County have improved, communities on the Mexican side of the border are no longer at the mercy of the armed gangs and drug smugglers who once roamed and controlled the Tijuana smuggling corridor.
It is no surprise that when I proposed extending this infrastructure across 700 miles of our southern land border, critics immediately dismissed the idea that border fencing would serve any functional purpose. Recognizing the success of the San Diego border fence, however, the Secure Fence Act, which required the construction of double-layered fencing at strategic points along the U.S.-Mexico border, passed the House and Senate overwhelmingly and was signed into law by President