We appreciate you coming and taking the time in your thoughtful testimony. Youre looking forward to answers to what should be a number of interesting questions. Members of this committee, it should come as no surprise that the security of our borders been a top priority in this committee. In november 2015 we published a report the state of americas border security. We have copies, so any new members are all members emma i would be happy to give you one. We have learned an awful lot. I would ask that my Opening Statement be entered in the record. I will take silence as a consent, thanks. I would like to read some of the findings out of that Opening Statement as well as other things we have learned very first and foremost, what we have ,earned in this 23rd hearing the first finding is that our borders are not secure. Two, americans demand for drugs is one root cause. In order to secure our borders agents need full situational awareness, including staying on the other side of the border. Hearing november of last year. We had former heads of the Border Patrol and deputy head of border control. We found out last week in hearing from the front lines personal issues must be a just addressed. We are trying to address that after a senators comments saying, this is insane. There are insane and crazy policies. We want to work with you to get those fixed right away so you can actually staff up and provide the manpower element of securing our border. Ports of entry must not be forgotten. The majority of drugs in our country through ports of entry. That is something i would like to talk about. One difficult hearing to have was victims of an unsecured border, victims of not enforcing our immigration laws so the truth is tragedy occurred and as a result of our unsecure borders, tragedies could have been prevented. Going down another list not on my Opening Statement, drug cartels and coyotes use miners to avoid prosecution. Unaccompanied children have been trafficked into the sex trade and involuntary servitude. Drug cartels are as if not more brutally preyed than isis. Brutal and depraved as isis. We have good technology, but as we found, they are not real good in wind. In certain areas, they can only operate about 40 of the tame time. We had an interesting hearing and this is something i am a big supporter of to quadruple or quintuple the use of dogs, because no technology can beat the nose of a dog. In Brooks County we found out 435 deaths of people who have crossed this country illegally occurred in the last five years. It is very dangerous journey. We should try to this this incentivize people for making that dangerous journey. Drug abuse is not a victimless crime. It has given rise to drug cartels. Those cartels traffic little girls. We were down in guatemala. We went to one of the shelters. A number of senators and i, i think the average age was 14. Its not a victimless crime. I think we all understand that, but we need to understand the responsibility be bear because of the insatiable demand for drugs. So thats just a list. I dont want to keep going on here. But we have learned an awful lot in 22 hearings. I think we will learn a lot more today. As senator mccaskill said, i do not think there is one United States senator who doesnt believe we need a more secure border. Lets start there with that area of agreement. We sure that goal, we want to secure our border. We want to keep the folks that we represent in our states, we want to keep them safe and secure, now we have to figure out the details. Again, i want to welcome general kelly and turn it over to senator mccaskill. Sen. Mccaskill thank you, mr. Chairman. Secretary kelly, thank you so much for being here today. We are cognizant of the demands on your time. Trying to beoal is careful about what we ask for and how much we ask for. But we have to ask for stuff, because our job is oversight. We aware youre being pulled a lot of differentays. Thats why we look forward to you getting a full team in place so we can begin to have some of the people in charge in your operation come and answer some of these difficult policy and oversight questions. You and i have worked together on the Armed Services committee. I am a fan of how you served as a marine and general. No one can question the sacrifices you made for our nation. Ever since your confirmation, i have considered you a voice of reason within the administration. You have displayed throughout your career a willingness to speak truth to power, to say no rather than nodding, and made your decisions based on the facts, not political expediency. Those are needed now more than ever. I am asking you to speak to the administration and the president , but im also asking you to speak to us and the american people. Even though it may not seem like it, we are three months into the new administration. I know you want time to settle in. You need help to do your job. We are pleased we confirmed elaine duke yesterday. I think she will be a terrific addition to your department. By the way, i secured her vote tally. I was going to bring it this morning, but i forgot. Toill make sure to get that her so she can frame it for her office. We have two executive orders implemented on immigration from majority muslim nations, and both have come under immediate constitutional scrutiny by the courts. The department overhauled interior enforcement to take the shackles off. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, you have ordered the department to begin planning design, construction, and maintenance of a wall along the border. Even though missouri is not on the border, my state is directed directly affected by it. The drugs that get through the border are a huge impact in the Opioid Crisis. It is gripping my state and the entire nation. It is causing death and destruction to families all over the United States. I know you share my concern about drugs coming over the border, but i am deeply concerned that all of the rhetoric and all of the budget requests have focused on the border and not the ports of entry. Thats there is no plan which we know along with the mail is the primary place that drugs are coming into our country. I certainly hope that we have a chance to address that today. Away from the border im concerned about the secret service and the unprecedented challenge of protecting the president and his family at numerous locations, the white house, trump tower, and marlago maralago as well as International Travel by the president s sons. In the meantime, the secret Service Reviewing incidents that threaten security at the white house, including a case in march where a fence jumper was able to elude security and roam the grounds for 50 minutes. 15 minutes. Im deeply concerned that the secret service is being stretched to its breaking point. Just yesterday, i read news reports that the extreme vetting procedures with force will force these applicants from places like australia and japan, the United Kingdom to disclose not only all of the information on their mobile phones, social media password, financial records, even to answer questions about their beliefs. I have to tell you, if my family was traveling and they told me we would to answer questions about my beliefs to get into the country, we would not go. And i have a hard time imagining those countries would see us as their friends. I think this has a profound impact on our standing in the world, a profound impact on the nature of our alliances around the world and profound impact on our national security. I will ask questions about that today as i indicated to you in our conversation yesterday, because i think we are doing things that in no way trips up the bad guys, but changes our image forever in the eyes of the world. Permanent and irreparable harm occurring. Secretary kelly, we have been trying to ask questions about policies and problems, and there has been times it has been very difficult to get answers. Willing to do a reset but Going Forward, i hope that together the chairman and i can work to make sure we have witnesses and have them answer questions that need to be answered, and frankly i think it works to the benefit of your department. Because if you are not here explaining, assumptions can be made that are unfair. Going forward, i hope we have a new beginning in not only getting questions answered, but also having witnesses at hearings. Im glad youre here today. There is a lot of important issues before us, and we have a lot of questions. I hope you will be willing to answer them Going Forward. Thank you very much. Sen. Johnson senator mccaskill, i will point out that senator general kelly has made himself for a secure briefing and he is already here in early april. I appreciate his willingness to testify. We do have tradition to swear in witnesses. Would you please raise your right hand. Do you swear it will be the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . Please be seated. Secretary john f. Kelly, general kelly, was confirmed to be the fifth secretary of Homeland Security on january 20th, 2017. He previously served as a United States marine corps general and commander of the United StatesSouthern Command. Less than a year of retiring from the marine corps, he retired arose once again to lead the department of Homeland Security. General, we thank you for your service, past, present and future. We look forward to your testimony. Gen. Kelly thank you, it is an honor to be here. I will make myself available anytime by phone, drop in. Just yesterday, i met with the entire hispanic caucus on the house side. A week prior to that, with the entire Democratic Caucus on the house side, and met with the Democratic Caucus on this side last week and i think im scheduled to speak with the republicans. So any time, any place, happy to do it. Just need a little notice. Since taking on this assignment three months ago, i have learned very important lessons the the department of Homeland Security and the defense of the homeland. The first is that the men and women of my department are incredibly talented and devoted public serces who serve in very special ways. In particular are those who uphold laws this institution, congress, passes by way of the democratic process. It goes without saying the United States coast guard elefctlae tseouco hpetoe cknohn rereheimgr ctorc ant wn skndhent acrdg nen he dusteiohebpstw u irornoerviti mc th r ovwoed u. Gerfoigdiit azi pca tin giving their life for people they dont even know. Then theres tsa who ensure security among other things to the traveling public. Aviation traveling public. Tsa enjoys little credit as all work they have been ordered to do in complete and bringing them in direct contact for minor with public who has an intolerance for minor inconveniences. Again, all of this required by the law. The public forgets this alternative is probably in a dying in a firall falling from 30,000 feet. They do their work effectively and they worked very hard. The second lesson i have come to realize is what Homeland Security means. We must no longer think about the defense of the nation in terms of initiatives and ndin wldf iciv e veennghrtsusweadk about security and nonsecurity which requires an increased melding of the thinking of the departments of defense and Homeland Security. Secretary mattis and his team do it every day. The team i am in charge of fight the home game. The defense of homeland starts with allies and partners willing to fight the fight in syria, iraq, and afghanistan while standing ready in europe, asia, and south asia. Closer to home and winning the home game it is all about increasing partnership be with willing and reliable friend like mexico, colombia, and canada. Indeed, all of the nations in this hemisphere and around the globe. Security of the border is the primary responsibility of any sovereign nation. This is nonnegotiable. The federal, government has not lived up to its promise to the american people. President trump, in the early days of his administration issued executive orders on this issue and tasked me to a couple two accomplish it. Verys executive orders have various orders have been put out there, some of them effectively and some not will effectively, but all of them are worth adhering to once the courts finish with their rulings. What has happened in the last 90 days or so, we have seen an amazing drop in the number of migrants coming out of Central America that are taking that dangerous route from Central America and to United States. In particular, we have seen a dramatic reduction in the number of families and the number of children that are in that pipeline. It wont last unless we do something, again, to secure the border. The wall, a physical barrier. Something to secure our border. You know we are looking at that , in fact i think the proposal was closed out yesterday. What it will look like, how tall but physical barriers do work if they are put in the right places. I have already talked to the cbp, and they know where they want to wall and they know how long the wall should be in their sector. They are quick to point out if they cant have a wall from sea to shining sea, then at least give them the physical barrier, the technology that will do the job for them in the locations that they have identified to me. I would like to highlight the committee to a relentless threat that we are two or three steps ahead of over the years. I talk of those who would do us harm primarily operating out of the middle east. They are unyielding in their attempt to destroy passenger aircraft or flight. In response to this threat, dhs personnel deployed in a thousands overseas, working with airports and air carriers, intelligence and Law Enforcement partners to deny the terrorist attempt to kill the innocent in the largest number as possible. As i said, we, the cia and fbi, dni, dod, doj, dot and dhs and all of our International Partners have been successful thus far. I recently made decisions that added additional baggage protocols to the number of foreign airports that fly flights directly to the United States. This decision was not about the muslim religion, skin color or ethnicity. I would like to impact the bottom line of foreign air carriers to the benefit of u. S. Air carriers. My decisions were based on save living and protecting the homeland. If we cannot get our arms around the current thread, you can expect Additional Protocol adjustments in the near future. Ill end by saying i thank you so very much for the support you gave elaine duke, the fact that she is now confirmed and with any kind of luck ill return to my building after this meeting or after this committee, swear her in, and put a very, very heavy pack on her back, fill it up with a lot of rocks and make the department of Homeland Security better than it already is. With that mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, i standby for questions. Sen. Johnson she had to be looking forward to that. You talked about the study on the border barriers. Can you just tell me the a little more detailed status of that, as well as any surprises in terms of their initial results of that . Gen. Kelly we know that a physical barrier works. The parts of the border that have physical barrier now, roughly 650 miles, built some years ago, in those sectors it works. There are other places along the border, and again, the professionals, cbp, if you walked the terrain, some of you will say, if you can give me 27 more miles here, 16 more miles here, i dont really care about the other 140 miles am responsible for. But i need something that works. And to deflect the flow of people primarily, bad actors, people, not all of them are bad actors. People who are coming to the United States for various reasons come to primarily deflected away from the cities. The idea with coyotes and these traffickers is to get them as close into the city as possible and into the city where they disappear. If you can deflect them away from the city, it is easier to pick them up and return them, whether they are mexican or whatever. It is actually safer in many ways. Last year, somewhere in the range of 4500 neardeath were saved out in the desert. Some several hundred lost their lives in this attempt to get across the border. And that is on our border. There is no telling how many, in addition to the rapes and the assaults and the abuse they take, not done by the mexicans, but by the traffickers, theres no way to tell how many lose their lives. The point is, it is a dangerous trip. The barriers work. Technology also works. But all of it does not work at all unless you have men and women willing to patrol the border, develop relationships with their mexican counterparts across the border. Thats where we are right now. Theres no way i can give the committee an estimate on how much it will be cost. I dont know what it will be made of, i dont know how high it will be, i dont know if it will have solar panels or how it will be painted. I have no idea. I cant give an estimate. I will say this. It is unlikely that we will build a wall or physical barrier from sea to shining sea, but it is very likely i am committed to putting an where the men and women say we should put it. Sen. Johnson my assumption is you will target a stepbystep basis and put walls and fences in top Priority Areas where the Border Agents are telling you, correct . Gen. Kelly exactly right, senator. Sen. Johnson we had a meeting last week with heads of unions from Border Patrol and ice. There were some real problems. The use of polygraphs, way too high rejection rate. Pay parity. T