A year later, the southern border looks dramatically different

One year ago, I took a trip to the Mexican border along the Rio Grande Valley to witness firsthand the crisis facing our nation. During a three-day visit, public officials from all over the country received briefings from a group of experts including Border Patrol officials, state troopers, neighboring state representatives, non-government organizations (NGOs) and local citizens affected by illegal crossings. We visited border wall sections, points of entry and saw operations from helicopters and boats along the Rio Grande.

One year later, I took the same tour and received similar briefings with public officials. What I witnessed was completely different. State troopers explained that the new policies have so drastically reduced illegal crossings that they no longer patrol the frontline