Rochester Post Bulletin: Put people and technology to work for border security

We were fairly harsh about MPR's sloppy insta-coverage of Saturday's press call in this post, so we think it's only fair to point out Ed Felker's story, Walz: People, technology needed at border, as a fine and contrasting example of thorough coverage. It makes our own rambling efforts pale by comparison as well.

Some excerpts:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato, returned Saturday from El Paso, Texas, after a two-day border security fact-finding trip that convinced him that illegal immigration can be stemmed through additional personnel and technology.

He said he found little support among U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security agents for the 700-mile fence envisioned along the southwestern border. Rather, he said, they favor a mix of fencing in urban areas with improved surveillance capabilities and more agents and trained dogs to handle the traffic at official border crossings.

"It is a resource issue, but it's a smart resource issue," said Walz, who had a conference call with reporters early Saturday. "This is a situation I most definitely think we can deal with, but deal with in a proactive manner that is consistent with our values." . . .

. . .[The trip] comes as the election season is expected to include debates over illegal immigration, nationally and in Walz's 1st Congressional District. One of the three Republican candidates, state Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna, visited the New Mexico border in November with the volunteer Minuteman Project, which seeks to point out illegal immigrants to the U.S. Border Patrol and highlight the issue of border security.

Support for border initiative

Walz said he favors the current $7 billion Secure Border Initiative over any new effort by Congress to secure the border, including the 700-mile fence authorized by Congress in 2006 and signed into law by President Bush. "I wouldn't argue that (border security) is adequate. Like I said, they are making improvements but there are still things that need to be done, there's no doubt about about that. I think the Secure Border Initiative is the right way to go." . . .

Go read the whole thing.