TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A coalition of border sheriffs said in a letter last week that a border wall is but a soundbite and "not a cogent" public policy position that's needed to secure the border.
The Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition said in the Jan. 8 letter said the wall, which is at the center of the nation's longest and ongoing partial government shutdown, has become a lightning rod of division that detracts from other approaches to securing the border.
But chairman Leon Wilmot, who is the sheriff in Yuma County, Arizona, said the problem lies in many other areas, like the understaffed ports of entry.
In fact, way more illegal drugs that come from Mexico do so through ports of entry, where all drivers and pedestrians make contact with a customs officer.
