Perry: Secure Border Without Fence

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has taken some heat from conservatives for opposing construction of a fence between the U.S. and Mexican borders. But he maintains in an interview with Time magazine that a fence isn’t the best way to secure our borders.

“I do not agree that building a 1,800-mile barrier is thoughtful. It’s an easy answer. I think it’s a cop out for anyone who’s actually been on the border. It’s like building a wall from Bangor, Maine to Miami, Fla.,” Perry said.

“What does work is strategic fencing in your metropolitan areas, having the boots on the ground. We are woefully understaffed on that border.” Drone planes should be deployed to monitor the border, Perry said. The information they compile could then be used by law enforcement officials.

“That’s how you thoughtfully secure that border, and then you can have a discussion about what type of immigration reform we want to consider as a country,” Perry said.