Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), whose district borders Mexico, said he supported President Trump’s decision to send 1,500 troops to the southern border.
But he added that the move was expensive and that it was important to use the military as effectively as possible.
“I support them, but we have to keep in mind that there are limits to what they can do,” Cuellar said in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
“They have no enforcement power,” he continued. “I don’t want them sitting in cars or vehicles. I don’t want them to have a joystick on the camera. I hope they do what they can to provide.”
Cuellar said the military can help provide surveillance, helicopter support and provide certain temporary barriers.
“We have to make sure we use the military in the right way, because it’s very expensive to put troops there,” he said.
Cuellar said the military can help provide surveillance, helicopter support and provide certain temporary barriers.
“I want to hire Border Patrol agents,” he said. “As you know, we are having trouble hiring that person. “We invested money for 22,000 new Border Patrol agents, but we haven’t been able to hire that amount yet.”
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Acting Defense Secretary Robert Sailes is expected to sign a release order sending up to 1,500 troops to help secure the southern border as President Trump works to stem the tide of migrants entering the United States.
The exact number of troops and how many will be deployed remained fluid as of Wednesday morning.
The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns NewsNation.
