KGUN9 On Your Side, Tucson News, Weather & SportsMcCain and Kyl take another crack at border security funding

McCain and Kyl take another crack at border security funding

Web Producer:  Forrest Carr

WASHINGTON (KGUN9-TV) - Republican Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain of Arizona are taking another crack at beefing up border security.  On Thursday afternoon the two issued a joint statement saying that they were pursuing $701 million in border funding. 

According to the press release, their legislative proposal would provide the following:
 
• $208.4 million for 1,200 additional Border Patrol agents;
• $136 million to maintain current Customs and Border Patrol staffing levels, and add another 500 officers;
• $35.5 million for improved tactical communications on the Southwest Border, three permanent Border Patrol forward operation bases and to fund investigations into corruption among Border Patrol and customs officers;
• $50 million for grants to support border security cooperative efforts between local and federal law enforcement;
• $32 million to procure two additional surveillance drones;
• $30 million for ICE efforts to battle drug smuggling and Mexican cartel violence;
violence from the Mexican drug cartels;
• $201 million to fund Department of Justice investigations.

This legislation is similar to a measure that U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords (D-Tucson) helped secure in the House as part of the war funding bill.  But when the Senate approved its version of that bill last week, it stripped out other domestic funding including the provision for border security.

McCain and Kyl issued a joint statement that read in part, "The legislation we introduced today will provide additional resources to help gain control of our border, without impacting our nation's deficit."

The two said that one thing that will be different with this attempt to provide border security proposal is that their plan mainly relies on "unobligated stimulus funds."  They also plan to tap into about $100 million in money left over from the now-suspended "virtual fence" project.

Kyl and McCain said they look forward to working with the Democratic majority to make the funding happen.