Delaware's congressional delegation: We support border security, but not a wall

Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Chris Coons and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester represent Delaware in Congress. All three are Democrats. 

Today, our country is in the midst of the longest government shutdown in our history. Any government shutdown puts our economy at risk, jeopardizes our national security and ceases critical government programs on which millions rely.

But what is most unfortunate about this historically long shutdown is that hundreds of thousands of American families, including hundreds in the First State, are going without pay through no fault of their own. These federal workers are collateral damage in a fight that has nothing to do with the important, unrelated jobs that they do for our state and our nation every day. 

This avoidable shutdown comes after congressional leaders, from both chambers and parties, came to a bipartisan agreement that would provide $1.3 billion for border security – giving law enforcement better tools and technology to keep us safe. Instead of declaring a bipartisan victory and keeping the government open, the president chose instead to dismiss the deal in favor of an “all-or-nothing” demand to fund a concrete border wall – a position rooted in the best wisdom of medieval times, rather than the 21st century. 

Let’s be clear: Every member of Congress – Democrat and Republican alike – wants to ensure that our borders are secure. This is not a partisan issue. We should be listening to our Customs and Border Protection officers on the ground who, for years, have called for more trained customs officers at our ports of entry, along with smart investments in technologies like radar, sensors and tunnel detection.

These technologies help the men and women who patrol our borders perform their mission more effectively and for a lot less money.

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A wall spanning our southwestern border with Mexico, from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, would also prove costly. President Donald Trump is demanding $5.6 billion for his wall right now. But that amount would merely be a down payment.

His own Department of Homeland Security has estimated that the wall could cost about $21.6 billion, not including maintenance or yearly operations. Outside estimates have placed the cost of the wall at closer to $70 billion.

And who will have to foot the bill? American taxpayers.

Constructing a nearly 2,000-mile wall is also an impractical “solution” to securing our border. According to a recent study by the conservative think-tank CATO, more than two-thirds of land along the border does not even belong to the federal government – potentially leading to years of court battles and land disputes with Native American tribes and property owners and adding to the cost of the wall. 

The Trump administration has resorted to scare tactics – including falsely claiming that 4,000 suspected terrorists have been apprehended at the border – to justify the need for the wall and sway public opinion. But the majority of Americans have been clear: They do not want a 2,000-mile wall.

By failing to listen to the American people and find common ground to end this government shutdown, President Trump is jeopardizing the financial security of Delaware families.

There are 800,000 federal employees nationwide and hundreds of Delawareans, including law enforcement officers and the brave men and women serving in the Coast Guard, who do not know if or when they will receive their next paycheck. Over 42,000 Delawareans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed their families will face uncertainty with the U.S. Department of Agriculture slated to run out of funds for the program by the end of the month.

As the shutdown continues, small businesses cannot access federally assisted loans, national parks remain closed, and air travel and food safety are being threatened. 

Funding the federal government is our most basic duty, and derailing that process for an ineffective security measure is simply unacceptable.

We need comprehensive immigration reform that secures our border, overhauls and modernizes our immigration system and offers a pathway to citizenship for those who are contributing members of our society. But we need to give these important national issues the thorough and fact-based debate that the American people deserve.

While this shutdown is unprecedented, a comprehensive and bipartisan compromise on immigration reform could be, too.

There are bipartisan measures, like the USA Act, that marry cutting-edge border security with immigration reform – offering a path to citizenship for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program.

It is our sincere hope that President Trump will come to the table and work with Democrats to reopen the federal government and end the uncertainty for Delaware families so that we can begin a meaningful debate on immigration.

By opening a line of communication and taking a page from the Delaware playbook – seeking compromise and negotiating with civility – we can create an opportunity for change and begin to restore the American people’s faith in our ability to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our nation.