Lindsey Graham: 'We've Practically Militarized the Border'

The ongoing negotiations to bring about immigration reform appear to have cleared a major hurdle.
The senate is close to an agreement thanks to an amendment that will significantly beef up security along the U.S.-Mexico border. That move was made by the so-called "Gang of Eight'--of which Sen. Lindsey Graham is a member--to make reform attractive to more conservative members of the Senate.
On the Senate floor Graham said, "We've practically militarized the border."
The so-called Corker-Hoever Amendment, named after the Senators who proposed it--would more than double the amount of border security along America's southern border from 18,500 to nearly 40,000.
The number of drones in use will triple, from 6 to 18. 

Graham released the following statement on Friday morning:

“When people in South Carolina say ‘Secure the Border,’ I get it,” said Graham.  “The Corker-Hoeven amendment is a border surge and designed to help us regain over sovereignty. It is a robust border security measure which calls for the hiring, training and deployment of an additional 20,000 Border Patrol agents on the southern border.”

Graham added that there are five provisions that must be met for illegal immigrants to achieve lawful permanent status: They are  

·         Hiring, training, and deployment of the additional 20,000 Border Patrol agents on the Southern border.  By comparison, in Fiscal Year 2012 we had 18,500 agents patrolling the Southern border. 

·         Build an additional 350 miles of actual fencing, not vehicle barriers.

·         Implementation of mandatory E-Verify to check the legal status of new hires.

·         Deployment and implementation of an electronic Entry-Exit system at all international air and sea ports of entry within the United States.

·         The Department of Homeland Security, after consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Defense, the Inspector General of the Department, and the Comptroller General of the United States (GAO), has submitted a Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy to Congress that includes minimum requirements for each sector along the border as identified by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the plan has been deployed and is operational. 

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