Is Congress undermining border security?
Congress on occasion tries to pull a fast one on the American people by sneaking in apparently innocuous provisions that have a large impact. Fortunately, Heritage’s experts keep a close eye on Congress for just this reason. A new law, reports Heritage National Security expert James Carafano, would hamper the federal government’s efforts to add thousands of new Border Patrol agents. It would do this by “prohibit[ing] efforts to innovate and expand law enforcement training for the department and all of the other law enforcement programs supported by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.” The FLETC, Carafano explains, is in charge of the Border Patrol’s Artesia, New Mexico training school. By blocking expansion and the devotion of new resources to the academy, Congress would stymie the Secure Fence Act, which calls for substantial increases in the number of Border Patrol agents. “Adding thousands of new agents in a few years as mandated by Congress may not be feasible without expa
