United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin visited the southern border in Brownsville, Texas, on Aug. 5, marking his first trip to the area since becoming Secretary.
During his visit, Mullin toured the southern border wall, visited Camp Monument, inspected an autonomous surveillance tower, and met with U.S. Coast Guard personnel as well as U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector. He was accompanied by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rosario “Pete” Vasquez.
Mullin also observed waterborne buoys installed in the Rio Grande River intended to deter illegal crossings through dangerous waterways. In Brownsville, approximately 9.5 miles of a planned 17-mile buoy barrier project have been constructed and deployed; about 7.5 miles remain to be completed.
“Yesterday, I was at the border with CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott and some of our Border Patrol agents,” said Secretary Mullin. “Thanks to these heroes and the strong leadership of President Donald J. Trump, we have the MOST SECURE border in history, 15 straight months of ZERO illegal aliens released into our nation, and HISTORICALLY low illegal crossings. We will continue delivering on the American people’s mandate to keep our homeland safe and our border secure.”
The tour included stops at key security installations along the southern boundary as well as meetings with personnel responsible for enforcing immigration laws.