House Republicans representing areas along the Mexican border are leery of President Trumps plan to build a wall through their districts.
Three Republican lawmakers say undertaking such a massive project will fall short of alleviating the issues surrounding border security.
Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), who represents the largest region along the Mexican border of any member of Congress, actively opposes the wall, a cornerstone of Trumps campaign.
Their lack of enthusiasm means there isnt a single border-area lawmaker who vocally supports the construction of a wall in their district.
There are six deep-blue districts along the Mexican border from California to Texas all represented in the House by Democrats unified against Trumps wall plan and home to voters who dont want a wall in their backyards.
Voters in the regions along the border which have significant Hispanic populations predominantly favored Democratic nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonMorgan Freeman on Trump: 'It feels like we are jumping off a cliff' Dont doubt Trump when it comes to the VA Border-district Republicans skeptical about Trumps wall MORE over Trump last November.
Representing border districts are Democratic Reps. Juan Vargas (Calif.), Ral Grijalva (Ariz.), Beto ORourke (Texas), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Vicente Gonzlez (Texas) and Filemon Vela (Texas).
Pearces southern New Mexico district was the only one along the border that Trump won on Nov. 8.
Hurd and McSally, on the other hand, face a tricky balancing act in Trumps presidency after both of their swing districts narrowly went to Clinton.
After Trump signed an executive order last week taking steps toward building the wall, Hurd issued a statement breaking with his fellow Republicans to make clear he wasnt on board.
Hurd noted that it would be impossible to build a physical wall in many parts of the more than 800 miles of the border in his district.
Building a wall is the most expensive and least effective way to secure the border, he said.
Each section of the border faces unique geographical, cultural, and technological challenges that would be best addressed with a flexible, sector-by-sector approach that empowers the agents on the ground with the resources they need. A wall may be an effective tool in densely populated areas, but a variety of tools are needed between Brownsville, Texas, and San Diego, California.
Neither McSally nor Pearce went as far as Hurd, but both indicated that a one-size-fits-all strategy of a wall along the entire Mexican border doesnt seem feasible.
McSally described Trumps executive order, which also calls for hiring 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents, as a strong start in the right direction.
But McSally, who chairs a House Homeland Security subcommittee on border security, was less effusive about the executive orders directions for building the wall.
When it comes to barriers, they are important where appropriate, but only part of the equation. What we need is a comprehensive strategy to grow situational awareness, build operational control and dismantle the cartels and their networks, she said.
And Pearce, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, signaled that he doesnt think a wall alone would prevent illegal immigration.
Building a wall or increasing the number of Border Patrol agents alone will not fix the faults with our border security, he said. We must enforce the laws we have and create a new strategy that will reform the way we patrol and protect the border.
Pearce told the Albuquerque Journal after the November elections that the wall wouldnt turn out to be the solution Trump and his supporters believe it to be.
It can be cheated, Pearce said at the time. We communicated that we thought its not going to work because we see people going under it, around it and over it.
But other Republicans are eager to get the project started.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an immigration hawk whose district is more than 1,000 miles away from the border, even has a scale model of the proposed structure that he showed off in a photo with new Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly.
GOP leaders are making clear they want to make progress on one of Trumps key campaign promises within the first year of his administration. Speaker Paul RyanPaul RyanGOP chairman defends staff who helped draft Trump travel order The Hill's 12:30 Report Pelosi aide apologizes after accusing Ryan of cursing reporters MORE (R-Wis.) said after the joint House-Senate GOP retreat last week that he expects Congress to take up an emergency funding package to provide American taxpayer funding for the walls construction.
Estimates for its cost range from $10 billion to $20 billion. Trump pledged on the campaign trail that Mexico would pay for it, though Republicans havent laid out definitive plans for how to offset the walls cost or who will end up with the bill.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer floated the idea of a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico last week, later clarifying that such a move is just one option the White House is considering.
Mexican leaders have said repeatedly they wont pay for the wall, and the disagreement led Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto to cancel a meeting with Trump originally set for this week.
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Border-district Republicans skeptical about Trump's wall - The Hill