FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2001
CONTACT: Lisette McSoud Mondello
SENATOR HUTCHISON VISITS BORDER WITH
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison today joined Attorney General John Ashcroft as he visited Brownsville, Texas, on a trip designed to give the Attorney General a close look at how the Immigration and Naturalization Service is working.
"It is critical that the Attorney General see firsthand the law enforcement crisis we're facing," Senator Hutchison said. "Texas is on the front lines in the war on drugs and illegal immigration, and the Attorney General's visit underscores our determination to focus more help from Washington."
Senator Hutchison, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that determines Justice Department funding, has led the effort to try to hire more than 3,500 Border Patrol agents since 1996. The senator has gotten more funds for equipment and technology upgrades, and also championed reforms in Border Patrol hiring practices by directing that the agency provide recruitment bonuses to attract new agents.
Last year, Senator Hutchison secured $13 million to reimburse Texas border counties for the cost of handling federal drug prosecutions and detention.
"During his work on the Judiciary Committee in the Senate, John Ashcroft was able to get a very good overview of all America's border challenges," Senator Hutchison said. "Texas has 1,200 miles of border, and I am pleased he is here to see our share of it."
The Senator and Attorney General toured Veterans International Bridge in the morning on the Attorney General's four-day, two-state tour, which continues to El Paso and then Arizona.
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