WE MUST REVISIT PRIORITIES TO FURTHER SECURE OUR BORDERS

The headlines are becoming all too familiar:

"Border violence threatens Americans"

"Drug violence scares off tourists to Mexico"

"Mexico border city relives nightmare of violence"

Texas is my home. I've worked and raised my family here and now I
represent the 23rd Congressional District in Washington, D.C. It's a
special and diverse district with unique characteristics and special
challenges. With 785 miles of contiguous border with Mexico, it also
lies smack on the front lines of our nation's security.

I recently visited the community of Fort Hancock, where nearby Mexican
drug cartels have people looking over their shoulders and students
wondering who might show up at their school. Fear and intimidation
have moved into town. But Fort Hancock isn't alone.

The recent killing of an Arizona rancher, still under investigation,
and the murder of Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas near San Diego
remind us of the potential for violence, particularly in rural areas.

Combating this widespread violence means working together, across
levels of government, to ensure that our communities are safe.
Partnering is absolutely imperative when it comes to dealing with
these challenges.

We can continue to throw federal money at the problem, but if those
dollars don't end up where they're needed most, we'll only spin our
wheels and fall further behind.

I, along with my Border Delegation colleagues, recently sent a letter
to Gov. Perry, asking that he direct more of the federal funding our
Delegation has fought for to the sensitive border regions where it can
do the most good. In the last four years, an average of $125 million
per year in federal Homeland Security money has gone to Texas, but as
little as 3 percent actually made it to the border. That is
unacceptable.

I have also asked for an additional $50 million to supplement
Operation Stonegarden, a Department of Homeland Security program that
funds law-enforcement operations along the border. That program, which
I helped to expand in 2007, is currently funded at $60 million
annually and promotes cooperation and coordination between federal,
state, local and tribal law-enforcement agencies operating along the
United States borders.

And by funding our agencies with more resources and personnel, we will
continue to ensure a motivated, high-caliber work force committed to
the mission of protecting our communities, even as threats increase.

It's time for all of us to get on the same page and deal seriously
with the threats on our borders. The men and women who make it their
business to protect and defend us deserve that. So do the hard-working
residents who want nothing more than to work and raise their families
in a safe environment.

This is serious business. If our efforts are piecemeal, we will fail.
If our motivations are political, we can't win.