US, Mexico will work together to get to the bottom of this attack Border Patrol helicopter

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)  and I wrapped up our visit on a two-day trip to Laredo, which was prompted by an attack on a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter on Friday afternoon.

U.S. authorities, including Border Patrol, the FBI and Texas Rangers, are investigating the shooting with good cooperation from Mexican authorities.

Although this appears to be an isolated incident, this attack on U.S. agents comes just a month after drug cartel members hit a Mexican military helicopter with an RPG.

I hope this is not the beginning of an alarming trend. We must send a message that attacks like this will not be tolerated and met with a strong, swift response.

I will work in Congress to secure the border and work to put an end to President Obama’s executive actions that have allowed criminals to think they can enter America illegally and with impunity.

We must enforce the laws on the books. One of the issues U.S. Border Patrol agents have to overcome is the U.S. policy not to aggressively prosecute many of these people committing crimes while trying to cross the border. A specific concern is the ‘catch and release’ policy of the Obama Administration. Agents see the same people multiple times and it’s frustrating to process them just to see them let go by higher ups.

Offenders with a “small” quantity of drugs also benefit from prosecutorial discretion that puts them back on the streets with few, if any, consequences.

We need policies that make sense and keep our agents safe.

I am also concerned with the State Department’s request to cut danger pay for employees in the Nuevo Laredo area despite the fact that the roads through Nuevo Laredo are not considered safe for travel.

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