Congressman Steve King Proposes 100 Percent Solution For Mexican Border

Rep. Steve King believes he has an answer to the United States' southern border security problems. During a hearing before two subcommittees of the Homeland Security and Government Reform Committee, King, R-Iowa, presented a model he created for a barrier that would follow the U.S.-Mexico border. While King said his proposal wouldn't be suitable for all terrain, sealing the border is the key to stopping the flow of undocumented workers and illegal drugs across the border. "I'm for expanding the border patrol and giving them all the technology that they need, but I'm for a 100 percent solution, one we can make a business case for," he said. The barrier would be constructed of 10-foot wide concrete panels placed in concrete foundations sunk 5 feet in the ground. The wall would stand 12 feet tall, with wire strung along the top that could be electrified.King, who owns a construction company, said the foundation and panels for the wall could easily be installed by workers at a pace of up to a mile per day, costing about $1.3 million per mile. The U.S.-Mexico border is more than 1,900 miles long. "You pick them up with a crane, lift them up and just drop them in," King said, demonstrating with a desktop model made of wood and cardboard. "In fairly short order, you'll end up with a wall that would be quite effective and relatively economical." After making four visits to the border this year, King said a wall would keep out illegal immigrants and drug traffickers. "I have been known to sit down there sometimes at 2:30 in the morning, listening to border patrol agents who will talk to me only in obscure places where their identity can be kept confidential," he said. "You will not stop this human traffic unless you put a physical presence and a wall there."