BY MARIA RECIO
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn pushed back against federal moves to build the border wall in ecotourism areas in Texas by advocating for using technology instead, as he previewed his comprehensive border security legislation.
At issue are initial moves by contractors for the Department of Homeland Security to prepare land for a physical barrier in the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in Alamo and the National Butterfly Center in Mission.
DHS is anticipating fiscal year 2018 funding for building 60 miles of a border wall in Texas.
The “wall” has been President Donald Trump’s signature campaign promise. Cornyn on Tuesday told Texas reporters that he believed Trump had been elected in “significant part” because of it.
But Cornyn showed he was willing to push back against the building of a physical barrier, especially in environmentally sensitive areas.
“I’ve always believed that it was imperative for federal officials to consult with local leaders on what the appropriate solutions might look like,” he said of the environmentally-sensitive areas in Texas. “It may well be that rather than a physical wall in some of these places that technology will allow the Border Patrol to do its job just as effectively.”
Asked about the federal evaluations of the wildlife areas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Carlos Diaz said by email: “That is all part of the process. At this point the US Army Corps of Engineers are providing Architectural and Engineering services that includes soil sampling. We are in the preliminary stages and it is a bit premature to say that we’ll build at any location as those projects are pending approval of the FY18 budget.”
DHS Secretary John Kelly has broad authority to waive environmental rules to take actions that are part of national security.
The House is expected to approve $1.6 billion in funding for the wall for fiscal year 2018 this week before leaving Washington for the summer recess. But House GOP leaders, facing strong opposition to the wall even among some Republicans, are moving to include the funding in a catch-all national security bill. Senate Democratic leaders led by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., last month wrote to GOP leaders, warning against “a very expensive, ineffective new wall along the southern border.”
Cornyn said that a border wall “is only a piece of the puzzle” of border security and that he has been working for months with House members on a comprehensive legislative package that includes physical barriers, use of technology such as drones, as well as Border Patrol agents.
The Texas senator, who is majority whip, said he hopes the bill will be introduced before the Senate leaves for its summer break. The Senate cut short its recess because of the healthcare debate and will leave Aug. 11.
Cornyn praised the situation in Hidalgo County where levee walls were built, as a “win/win,” because local officials worked with the local Border Patrol for a dual use project. The president’s budget calls for 28 additional miles of levee walls.
“That’s why I think consultation is so important and I would hope the administration would work with local officials for a tailored solution perhaps involving technology that wouldn’t be any more disruptive than necessary,” he said.
But there may be some confusion about what local officials want. Both Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia and McAllen Mayor Jim Darling sent letters to federal officials expressing a willingness to work with federal officials on a wall in the region as part of a levee system.
The letters drew howls of criticism by area residents who expressed concern that the two elected officials were moving Hidalgo County to the front of the line to get a wall. Both officials later followed up with second letters clarifying their positions that they did not necessarily welcome construction of a wall.
