Washington – Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) introduced Secure the Border First Act of 2015 with Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today to serve as a first step to securing our borders.  The senators made these remarks in support of the bill:

“I appreciate Chairman McCaul’s efforts to put forward a bill to secure our borders,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, “and I am happy to introduce a companion bill in the Senate with Senators Cornyn and Flake.  This bill uses a sector-by-sector approach to outline capability requirements and includes a prescriptive list of required fencing and border security infrastructure.  I believe this bill is an important first step toward finally securing our borders.  Through committee hearings, I will build on Chairman McCaul’s efforts to ensure that our final bill prescribes what is truly needed at our borders and that the Department of Homeland Security effectively implements our border security prescriptions.”

Senator John Cornyn said, “By unilaterally going around Congress and taking executive action on immigration, the President has only exacerbated the Administration’s message to the world that our laws will not be enforced. Fixing our broken immigration system starts with a strong plan that enhances border security, increases enforcement assets, and speeds up legitimate trade and travel at our ports of entry. I look forward to working with Sen. Johnson and House Republicans to finally secure our porous border so we can find ways to promote the type of legal immigration that benefits our economy and our broader society.”

"Arizonans deserve a secure border, and I am pleased to support Senate introduction of the Border Security First Act, which will require that operational control of the border be attained and seek to hold those responsible for it accountable,” said Senator Jeff Flake. “I look forward to working with Chairman Johnson and my colleagues as this bill moves through the legislative process.” 

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