May 23, 2011

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- This weekend, U.S. Congressman Jason Altmire (PA-04) surveyed border security operations along the Arizona border as part of a trip organized by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords's office. During his trip, Congressman Altmire asked border patrol agents to take him to inspect the U.S.-Mexico border fence so that he could verify that it is being constructed with American-made steel. After learning in 2007 that Chinese steel was being used to build the fence, Congressman Altmire travelled to the border and helped to create a government rule ensuring that American-made steel would be used instead. You can see pictures and videos of Congressman Altmire's trip on his Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/repjasonaltmire.

"This weekend, I was proud to see firsthand that the U.S.-Mexico border fence is now being constructed with American-made steel, a direct result of a rule I helped create in 2007," Congressman Altmire said. "One of the highlights of this trip was meeting border patrol agents who do an outstanding job under very difficult circumstances. Through our various stops, Congresswoman Gifford's staff and her constituents helped explain that despite the progress that has been made, much more needs to be done to secure our borders."

During his trip, Congressman Altmire met with local ranchers and toured privately-owned ranch land along an isolated part of the border. Congressman Altmire also visited urban areas with a double-layered border fence and toured the Douglas Border Patrol Station, where he got an overview of daily operations and an update on efforts to prevent smuggling. Congressmen Tim Holden (PA-17) and John Barrow (GA-12) also participated in the trip.

As part of his ongoing efforts to secure the border, Congressman Altmire supports extending the National Guard's border patrol mission for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011. While in office, Congressman Altmire has helped to put 9,000 additional border patrol agents on the job, an increase of more than 70 percent since 2006. Congressman Altmire has also repeatedly voted to improve surveillance technology along the U.S.-Mexico border and consistently supported the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border fence. For more information on Congressman Altmire's record on border security, click here.