There are 1,000 ranchers along the 825 miles of border in Rep. Will Hurd's Texas district, and he warned Friday they won't take it lightly if the government tries to take their land to build a wall to stop people from entering the country illegally.
"There will be 1,000 landowners impacted, and guess what, they're going to sue," the Republican lawmaker told ABC's "The View." "In Texas, we believe in a little thing like private property rights."
Hurd also disagrees with President Donald Trump's declaration that the border situation constitutes a national emergency, but he does think there are many issues, including drugs and people entering the United States.
But the matter of illegal immigration has been a problem for decades, said Hurd, and he does not think it is necessary to declare an emergency. Further, he said a wall is just one tool of many that are needed to solve the issue.
"I've been very clear. Building a 30-foot-high, concrete structure from sea to shining sea is the most expensive and least effective way to do border security," said Hurd.
However, better technology is needed, he said.
"My district is larger than 26 states, roughly. It takes 10-and-a-half hours to drive across it," said Hurd. "In some parts of the border, Border Patrol response time is measured in hours to days. If there's a threat, they're gone."
The funding bill that has been approved also includes technology improvements such as fiber optics that will allow rural communities to receive broadband internet, which will be an improvement for many, he added.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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