LAREDO, TX — U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28), is pushing back against new federal plans to construct additional border wall segments across the entire southern border — including areas within Laredo — following notice from the Department of Homeland Security.
Cuellar said the city has already demonstrated that improved border safety can be achieved without new barriers.
“Border walls are a 14th-century solution to 21st-century problems. Border crossings are already down, and Laredo continues to be one of the safest places to live in the United States,” he said.
He emphasized that enforcement and strategic investments — not new construction — have driven progress.
“This was accomplished without additional border wall being added, but through enforcement of the law and investing in resources at our border. We have seen illegal crossings fall to their lowest levels in the Southwest, demonstrating that practical enforcement and coordination drive results.”
The congressman credits strong binational collaboration for helping reduce illegal activity.
“Those outcomes reflect real consequences at the border and deeper cooperation with Mexico and our Latin American partners. By aligning enforcement, information sharing, and regional responsibility, we are addressing the problem where it begins and delivering measurable improvements at the border.”
Cuellar — a senior appropriator in Congress — said he has focused on channeling resources to frontline personnel and advanced border management tools.
“We need to continue to invest in technology and our hardworking DHS workforce, including frontline Border Patrol Agents and CBP Officers,” he said, noting he has allocated record funding for personnel, overtime pay and border safety infrastructure.
His funding priorities include:
He reiterated that the country must stop criminal activity where it starts:
“With targeted resources and strategic investments, we can keep communities safe and disrupt criminal networks.”
Cuellar said he remains committed to bipartisan approaches that emphasize results, while rejecting what he sees as costly and outdated structures.
“I support smart border security solutions that will strengthen our federal border law enforcement while cracking down on fentanyl trafficking and human trafficking.”
He added that expanding modern tools and intelligence programs will help sustain security gains:
“I look forward to working with the Administration to strengthen these proven strategies—expanding technology, enhancing surveillance and detection capabilities, improving river and patrol roads, and increasing staffing—to secure our border effectively and responsibly.”
Cuellar concluded that the region’s track record speaks for itself:
“Border security is about results. South Texas has shown that strategic investments, professional law enforcement, and regional partnerships are what work, and that is the approach I will continue to advance.”
Originally reported by Texas Border Business.
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