(The Center Square) – As the Republican runoff election is underway in Texas, border security is once again front and center as a key topic.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is being challenged by Attorney General Ken Paxton and he and paid social media influencers are criticizing Cornyn on the issue.
Prior to the primary election, Paxton posted an undated video on social media depicting Cornyn speaking at an event in Weslaco, Texas. More recently, paid social media influencers are reposting the clip claiming Cornyn is against border wall construction. The video shows Cornyn stating, “I can see from first-hand experience that a new giant wall between the United States and Mexico from sea to shining sea makes no sense whatsoever.”
In response, Paxton said, “Cornyn's desperation to rewrite history is getting worse. Watch as John Cornyn says in his OWN WORDS that a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico ‘makes no sense whatsoever.’”
Those in law enforcement argue the response indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of border security. A physical border wall cannot be built along the entire southwest border due to multiple geological and tactical factors and border security isn’t about a wall, but a multifaceted system, they argue.
Texas border sheriffs are currently among the most vocal opponents of a border wall and barrier proposal in the Big Bend Sector of Texas, The Center Square reported.
Those living in Texas border communities argue Cornyn understands that border security doesn’t solely rely on a wall. It includes technological surveillance, boots, hooves and paws on the ground, boats in the water, drones and helicopters in the air, and towers and beacons, including on ranchlands.
In 2017, after meeting with Border Patrol and posting pictures of new infrastructure, Cornyn said, “Border patrol tells us that levee wall and other tactical infrastructure, plus technology and boots on the ground are key to border security.”
In 2020, when being challenged by Democrat MJ Hegar, who opposed border wall construction, Cornyn said he supported it. He also explained that border security included a comprehensive approach, including funding “technology, boots on the ground, to provide the barriers where necessary."
For years, Cornyn helped secure federal funding for border security and filed multiple bills. Recent efforts supported border wall construction, advanced technology and funding to hire more agents, Paul Perez, resident of the National Border Patrol Council, who has endorsed Cornyn, explains.
Walls and barriers serve as tools and vital choke points where heavy foot traffic occurs in urban-to-urban areas, Victor Manjarrez, a 22-year Border Patrol veteran who served as Chief Patrol Agent in the Tucson and El Paso sectors said. “A border wall or barrier is about time – giving time to Border Patrol agents to respond to illegal traffic, identify and apprehend illegal aliens in large groups,” he told The Center Square.
A 26-year Border Patrol veteran and now Terrell County Sheriff Thad Cleveland argues a virtual wall, counter surveillance and expanded technology are more effective and needed by agents on the ground in remote areas instead of concrete and steel, The Center Square reported.
“Border security isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach,” he and multiple others in Border Patrol have told The Center Square. Cleveland argues deploying Anduril Autonomous Surveillance Towers across the southwest border are far more effective in rural, remote areas where building a wall is not practical or a good use of taxpayer money. Using radar, optical and thermal cameras and AI software, AASTs automatically detect, classify and track people or vehicles miles away 24/7, 365 days a year. They provide a more targeted approach and support to agents on the ground, he says.
“Platforms like the MQ-9 Predator B, which can cover rugged terrain faster than vehicles, constantly monitor vast areas and guide agents to exactly where they need to go at the right time,” are also critical tools law enforcement needs for ongoing border security operations, he said.
Texas border sheriffs say they’ve relied on and worked with Cornyn for years, arguing he’s helped them in many ways without wanting any recognition and saved thousands of lives, The Center Square reported.
Brooks County Sheriff Benny Martinez, a key leader in Texas’ border security mission, Operation Lone Star, says he’s worked with Cornyn since 2009. Without Cornyn, former Gov. Rick Perry and Gov. Greg Abbott, “we would not be able to provide services to our community and search and rescue and recovery operations. Sen. Cornyn has always been there. He was our backbone when we needed him. He is a true statesman. He helps everyone regardless of political party,” he told The Center Square.
Democrat and Republican sheriffs from border counties of Brewster, Brooks, Culberson, Dimmit, Duval, Goliad, Hidalgo, Hudspeth, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kelberg, Kenedy, La Salle, Maverick, Presidio, Starr, Terrell, Val Verde, Willacy, Zapata and Zavala have endorsed Cornyn.
Paxton sued the Biden administration more than 100 times, The Center Square reported, including over border security issues. He argues he’s strong on the border. Paxton says he "is running to help President Trump finish the border wall and protect our national sovereignty." He also says if elected, "he will help President Trump deport the criminal illegal aliens Joe Biden invited into the country, secure the border, and complete the construction of the border wall."
