Blunt: Secure Borders First

Rep. Roy Blunt spoke to Washington reporters Thursday about progress being made on border security.

Blunt told reporters that Republicans have made significant changes in border security in the last year.

"As the speaker said, we're right on the edge of turning 100 percent catch-and-release to 100 percent catch-and-return. We need to have one legislative fix for one group before that becomes 100 percent," Blunt said. "But the Border Patrol agents are there. The detention facilities are there so that that can now happen."

Blunt still said the priority in any immigration bill would be border security.

"You can secure the border first. Our members have believed that. It makes sense to the American people. You know, if you go home and you find out after a rain storm that your basement's leaking, the first person you call is not the remodeling contractor and tell him to get over here this afternoon; we want the new carpet in the basement by tonight. In fact, the first thing you do is not even to start pumping the water out. The first thing you do is try to figure out where the water is coming in. It's a simple thing that people in the country understand. It's fundamental to solving this problem. The House is moving forward to do that," said the House majority whip.

"I'm particularly pleased to see the Senate taking up the significant authorization bill we passed last week for 700 miles of border security fencing, both virtual and actual fencing," Blunt said.

Here is some Q & A with reporters, courtesy of CQ transcripts:
QUESTION: Just either one of you, Mr. Boehner, you had mentioned that you're still working on something more comprehensive later this year. If you don't come up with a (inaudible) broad bill during a lame duck session, do you have smaller initiatives that you can expect to be passed after the elections?
BLUNT (?): Look, what we're trying to do is fix where the problem is, and that's the border. And that's our first focus and that's our major focus.
And once we get that done, then we can look at other things.
QUESTION: Have you done a cost estimate on what the entire fencing that you propose...
BLUNT (?): We've put in $1.9 billion in last -- well, I don't know what was in last year. We've got another $1.9 billion in this year, which goes along with the work that's already been contracted out to Boeing.
BLUNT (?): And that will be fencing, virtual fencing, border impediments, all the way across the border. And so we're trying to figure out how much it will be, but we have been funding it.


QUESTION: Could you explain to us how these bills actually become law? Do they get attached to something? Does the Senate take them up separately? Et cetera, et cetera.
BLUNT (?): It's our intent to try to move them on a bigger package.
QUESTION: What bills are you thinking?
BLUNT (?): Probably homeland security, if we can get it done. That's the plan.
QUESTION: Could you clarify which (inaudible) comprehension were you talking about? The guest worker program?
BLUNT (?): I didn't say "comprehensive."

QUESTION: Is there any agreement (OFF-MIKE) jobs just here in the country, along the border fence, limited (OFF-MIKE)
BLUNT (?): OK. One of the first things we want to do is to make sure the border is secure. You can't really do any program or any project unless the border is secure. If you do, you just bypass all the legislation that we have. We saw that happen in 1986. We don't want to see it happen again.