This hearing will come to order. I would like to welcome general kelly. It should come as no surprise that the security of our border has been a top priority of this committee. A top priority of this committee. In november 2015 after about 13 hearings and three round tables we published a report if state of americas border security. Weve got a bunch of copies, so any new members or old members that didnt get a copy, id be happy to give you one. Weve learned an awful lot. I would ask that my Opening Statement be entering into the record. Ask for consent for that. No objection. Ill the take silence as conse consent. Thanks. But id like to read some of the findings out of that Opening Statement as well as just some other things weve learned. Just kind of bullet points. First and fore most what weve learned between now this is going to be our 23rd hearing on various aspects of border security. Our borders are not secure, number one. Number two, americas insatiable demand for drugs is one cause of an unsecure border. We heard this yesterday. Algts need full Situational Awareness including the ability to see on the other decide ofst border. This can be achieved with appropriate fencing and technology. We had a hearing november of last year. We had former heads of Border Patrol and deputy Border Patrol and they said that fencing works and we need more of it. We found out last week in hearing from the front lines, hire is a challenge. And personal issues must be addressed and work with the secretary and his deputy to try to address that really based off of senator hide carps one hearing were where she said this is insane and there are some insane policies we want to fix right away so you can staff up, provide the manpower element of securing our border. Ports of entry must not be forgotten. The majority of drugs in our country are through ports of entry. Thats something id like to talk about. One difficult hearing to have was victims of an unsecure border, victims of not enforcing our immigration laws so the truth is, tragedies have occurred as a result of our insecure borders, tragedies that could have been prevented. Going down another list not on my Opening Statement. Drug cartels and coyotes use minors to avoid prosecution. Unaccompanied children have been trafficked in the sex straight. Drug cartels are as if not more brutal, depraved than isis. Arrow stats. Good technology but as we found out in one of our shifts on the border, theyre not good in wind. In certain areas they can only operate about 40 of the time. We had an interesting hearing this is something im interested in. No technology can beat the nose of a dog. In Brooks County we found out that 435 deaths of people who have crossed this crowd illegally occurred just in the last five years. Its a very dangerous journey. We need to try to disincentivize people from making the journey. Drugs is not a victimless crime. We are in guatemala in one of the shelters. Senator hide camp, carpenter, senator peters. I think the average age is 14. Its not a victimless crime. I think we all realize that but unfortunately we need to understand the responsibility we bear because of our insatiable demand for drugs. Thats just a list. But weve earned a an awful lot in 22 hearings. I think well learn more today. As senator mccaskill said yesterday, i dont think theres one United States senator who doesnt believe we need a secure border. So lets start there. We share that goal. We want to secure our border. We want to keep the folks that we represent in youre states, we want to keep them safe and secure. Now we got to figure out the details. So again, i want to welcome general kelly and ill turn it over to senator mccaskill. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Secretary kelly, thank you so much for being here today. We are cognizant of the demands on your time and part of our goal and the chairman and i agree on this is trying to be careful about what we ask for and how much we ask for, but weve got to ask for stuff, because our job is with oversight. Were aware that youre being pulled a lot of different ways. 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 have im in very im a fan of how you have served as a marine and a general and no one can question the sacrifices you made for our nation. Ever stint your confirmation ive considered you a voice of reason within the administration. You have displayed throughout your career a willingness to speak to power, to say no rather than nodding and base your decisions on facts, not political expediency. Those characteristics are needed more now than ever. Im counting on you to speak truth to this committee and the president. Im also expecting you to speak the truth to us and the American People. We are now three months into the new administration. I know you want to settle in and were pleased that we confirmed elaine duke yesterday. I think shell be a terrific edition to your position. I was going to bring the vote tally. Ill get it to her to frame for her office. We have two executive orders that ban travel from middle eastern countries. The department has overhauled the inner there are enforcement to take the shackles off immigration and customs and Border Control. You have ordered the department to begin plannings, design, maintenance and construction of a wall along the boarder. Even though missouri isnt on the border, my state is affected by it. The drugs that get through have a huge impact on the opioid crisis. 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. Im deeply concerned that all of the rhetoric and all of the budget requests have focused on the border and not the ports of entry. That there is no plan to increase resources at the ports of entry, 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 maralago as well as the International Travel by the president s sons. In the meantime the secret service is reviewing incidences that have threatened the physical security of the white house, including a case in march where a fence jumper was able to elude security and rome the kbrounds for 15 minutes. Im concerned that the secret service is being stroechd its breaking point. Yesterday i read reports that the extreme vetting procedures that the president has ordered could force visa applicants from places like australia and japan and the United Kingdom to disclose not only all the information on their mobile knowns, social media pass words, financial records, even to answer questions about their beliefs. Ive got to tell you. If my family was traveling to the United Kingdom and they told me that we would have 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 alineses around the world and a profound impact on our national security. And i will ask questions about that today as i indicated to you in our conversation yesterday. Because i think we are doing things that no way as a former prosecutor trips up the bad guys. The this changes our image forever in the eyes of the world. Permanent and irreparable harm. Weve been trying to ask questions about policies within your department. There have been times its difficult to get answers. Willing to do a reset and check that off as you not having all hands on deck but Going Forward i hope the chairman and i can work to make sure we have department of witnesses from the department of Homeland Security answer some of the questions that need to be answers. Frankly, i think it works to the benefit of your department. In youre not here explaining, assumptions can be made that sometimes are unfair. Going forward i hope we have a new beginning as relates to not only getting questions answered but also having witnesses at hearings. Im glad youre here today. Theres a lot of important issues before us and ive got a lot of questions. I hope we can count on you and your department be willing to answer them Going Forward. Thank you very much. Senator mccaskill, would point out general kelly has already made himself available for a briefing and hes here in early april. So i appreciate his willingness to testify. [inaudible]. Secretary or general kelly we have a tradition of swearing in witnesses. Would i please rise and raise your right hand. Do you swear the system youll give will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . [inaudible]. Please be seated. Secretary john f. Kelly, general kelly was confirmed to be the fifth secretary of Homeland Security. He previously served as United States marine corps general and commander of the u. S. Southern command. He once again answered the call to serve the nation and the American People by leading the kep of Homeland Security. General, we thank you for your service past, present, and future and look forward to your testimony. Well, thank you, chairman. And certainly Ranking Member mccaskill, all the members of the committee, its really an honor to be here. Ill make myself available any time by phone, by dropin. Just recently i met with just yesterday with the entire hispanic caucus on the house side. Week fliert with the entire Democratic Caucus on the house side. Ive met with the Democratic Caucus on this side last week and i think im scheduled to speak with the republicans, so anytime, any population. Happy to do it. Just need a little unless. Since taking on this assignment three months ago, ive learned two important lessons. The first is that the men and women of my department are incredibly talented and devoted Public Servants who serve the nation in very special ways. In particular, those uphold the laws, this institution, the Congress Passes by way of the democratic process. It goes without saying the United States coast guard supremely effective, one of the five military services in our country. They just happen to be lucky enough to be in the department of Homeland Security. Theres the i. C. E. Agents who have taken on the task of enforcing the laws you have massed and thed do that in the interior of our country, humanely, and always according to the law. It includes the investigators of the homeland investigations, hssi second to none in their effectiveness. Theres the officials at the cvp who among many other functions are the first and last line of defense, depending on how you look at it doing the dangerous work of defending the board ersz. Theyre out there day and night, 24 7 sufferings the heat of a arizona day. As you mentioned senators mccaskill, want to highlight both the agents as well as the uniformed force. They routinely work and are overworked to protect not only u. S. Government officials but foreign dignitaries as well. Theyre amazing Public Servants dedicated to taking a bullet and giving their life for people that they dont even know. Then theres the tsa who secure the security, among other things to the traveling public. They enjoy little credit as the work theyve been ordered to do and complete by the laws of this nation bring them in direct contact with the public that has little tolerance for minor inconveniences. Again, all of this required by the law. Testimony same public foergtsz that the alternative to what the tsa does in the airport is perhaps dying in a fire ball falling from 30,000 feet. Theyre heroes. They do their work effectively and theyve worked very, very hard at improving their performance. The second lesson is that what security means. We must no longer think about the nation as defense and nondefense funding. In the world 23467 we live and the threats directed against our nation and our way of live we must adjust our thinking to think about security and nonsecurity which requires an increasing melding of the thinking of the departments of defense and Homeland Security. Second madison do it every day. The quality the equally superb men and women of Homeland Security that im in charge fight the home game. The defense starts with allies and partners willing toss fight the fight in places like syria, iraq and afghanistan. Closer to home in winning the home game it is all about increasing the partnership with also and reliable friends like colombia, mexico, canada. Indeed all the nations of this atmosphere and around the globe. Securing the nations border is the primary responsibility of any sovrge nation. To those of us who serve the nation as part of d. H. S. , this is nonnegotiateble. Yet despite passing one law after another to do just that, has not lived up to its promise to the American People. President trump in early days of his administration issued executive orders focused on these tarvegs and tasked med to accomplish it. Various executive orders have been put out there, soming effectively and some not so effectively. But all were worth adhering to once the courts finished with their rulings. Whats happened in the last 90 days or so weve seen an absolutely amazing drop in the number of my grants coming out of Central America that are taking that terribly dangerous route from Central America into the United States. In particular, weve seen a dramatic reduction in the number of families and the number of children that are in that pipeline. It wont last. It wont last unless we do something again to secure the border. The wall and a physical barrier, something to secure our border. You all know that were looking at that. In fact, i think the proposals closed out yesterday, what the it will look like, how tall, how thick, what color it will be is yet to be determined. All we know is that physical barriers do work if theyre put in the right places. Of course, ive already pulsed the men and women who work the border, cvp, they know exactly where they want wall and exactly how long the wall should be in their sector. Theyre quick to point out that if they cant have a ballwall from sea to shining sea, at least give them the wall, the physical barrier the technology that will do the job for them in the locations theyve identified to me and we will do that. Id like to highlight to the committee and the American People to a relentless threat that thankfully we have probably stayed 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 and they are unl yielding in their attempt to destroy commercial air passenger flights. In response to this, officials are deployed in thousands oefrsz working with airports, air carriers and intelligence and enforcements partners to deny the terrorists attempt to kill the innocent in the largest numbers possible to make some sick statement. As i say, we, the cia, nsa, fbi, dni, dod, doj, dot and dhs and all our International Partners have been successful thus far. I made several decisions that involved baggage protocols in a number of foreign airports that fly flights directly to the United States. This decision was not and i recent not aboutst muslim religion, anyones skin color or ethnicity. But to impact the bottom line of foreign air carriers to the benefit of u. S. Air carriers. My efforts were based entirely on our homeland and protecting lifes. If we dont do 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 lot of rocks and make the department of Homeland Security better than it already is. That, mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, stand by for questions. She ought to be looking forward to that. So general, let me start, you talked about the study on the border barriers. Can you just tell me the little more detail the status of that wells any surprises that youve in terms of the initial results of that . We know that a physical barrier works. Its 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 in cvp, if you walk the terrain and i know some of you have can tell me, boss, if you can give me 27 more miles here, 16 more miles here, im not worried about the other parts of the boarder that im responsible for. To deflect the flow of bad actors, not all of whom are bad actors but people coming to the United States for various reasons. The idea with the coyotes and traffickers to cross over as close as possible to a city, gets them away from the city and disappear. Its easier to pick them up and return them, whether theyre mexican or whatever. Its safer in many ways. Last year i think somewhere in the neighborhood of 4500 near death individuals were saved out in the desert. Unfortunately, unknown specific numbers but some several hundred lost their lives in this attem