It’s crazy that Democrats Chuck and Nancy are complaining about the border security project so much, but Pelosi wants to be the Speaker [...]]]> There’s a lot of talk about a border wall from the White House these days, so it’s helpful to see what’s there already and the gaps that need to be filled.

It’s crazy that Democrats Chuck and Nancy are complaining about the border security project so much, but Pelosi wants to be the Speaker of an increasingly left-wing Democrat caucus, so she has to act extra-tough against the Trump’s Wall.

Fox News’ William La Jeunesse reports where border barriers exist now, as well as remarks from Democrat presidents in the past regarding walls against illegal immigration. The upshot: Democrats spoke favorably about border walls in the past when it was their idea — but now they reject them because Dems don’t want to give the hated President Trump a win.

WILLIAM LA JEUNESSE: When someone wants money you say, ‘What’s it for?’ We don’t know exactly what the $5 billion buys. Currently the border has 650 miles of barrier, about half of that only stops cars and some of the rest barely stops people. So you see the vehicle barrier there and the old stuff — well, it’s old, rusty and short. Homeland Security says $5 billion will build 215 miles of wall, likely bollard-style fence, five miles San Diego, 14 in El Centro, 27 in Yuma, nine in El Paso, 55 Laredo, and 104 miles in the Rio Grande Valley.

But, does it replace the old fence? Is it a secondary fence or is it new fence, meaning additional miles? We don’t know. How much is spent on cameras, sensors and drones — ICE, Border Patrol agents don’t know. We asked the White House, Congress, we got nothing, even this morning. So is this fight about money or politics?

This year Congress will spend $5 billion in aid to Afghanistan. $11 billion on green energy subsidies. $14 billion on earmarks. Democrats say they oppose a wall, yet from President Clinton through Barack Obama, Congressional Democrats built miles of border wall.

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years and we must do more to stop it.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The bill before us will certainly do some good. It will authorize some badly needed funding for better fences and better security along our borders.

LA JEUNESSE: Remember, Bill, in 2006 majority of Senate Democrats voted for 700 miles of double fencing no different in design today from what President Trump calls a wall.

Below, a generic security fence [...]]]> One Friday, Senator Sessions issued an unusually brief press release concerning the Democrats’ approach to security at its July national convention: the party is going for walls to shield itself from its own members, while it refuses to similarly protect this nation from ISIS and other enemies on the borders.

Below, a generic security fence with barb wire, of the sort which may suffice to keep Bernie supporters out and prevent them from tearing up the Democrat assembly.

Sessions Responds to Decision to Build a Wall around the Democratic National Convention, June 10, 2016

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) responded to the decision to build a wall around the Democratic National Convention:

“It’s interesting that the Democratic National Committee will have a wall around their convention to keep unapproved people out while at the same time, their presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton, pushes for open borders policies that are even more radical than President Obama’s.  She would refuse to deport dangerous criminal aliens until after they have been convicted of committing heinous crimes against Americans, close detention centers, issue even more extreme executive orders than Obama, and increase Syrian refugees five-fold.  Her proposed policies make no sense, decimate the rule of law, further reduce wages for poor Americans, and increase the risk of terrorism and criminal behavior.

Security is a necessity in this increasingly dangerous world.  Clinton and the DNC don’t hesitate to use walls and guns for protecting themselves and their elite friends.  I say it’s time to provide such protection to the at-risk people like Kate Steinle, and Clinton not understanding this will lead to her defeat.”

Interestingly, Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton told Univision on a segment that aired June 2 that America should be building bridges instead of walls:

HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRAT CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT: “I think the idea of building walls as an answer to issues that confront our country is just not the right approach. We should be building bridges, we should be building understanding.”

For reporting of how the convention preparations look close up, see the local NBC coverage — “no-scale fencing” must mean it’s hard to climb:

Wells Fargo Center, Xfinity Live! to Be Inside DNC Security Perimeter, NBC Philadelphia, June 10, 2016

Security at the Sports Complex during the Democratic National Convention next month will include “no-scale fencing” to enclose the Wells Fargo Center and Xfinity Live!, the Secret Service special agent in charge said in an interview Thursday.

But exact boundaries of the security perimeter around the sports arena, where the convention will take place July 25-28, are not yet finalized, Special Agent James Henry told NBC10.com.

“We’re not quite there to talk about the perimeter yet,” Henry said. “We’re probably a couple weeks away from finalizing that. But expect some closures.”

For the second time in less than a year, Philadelphia is playing host to an event that brings with it the designation of National Special Security Event (NSSE). Last year’s papal visit was hailed a success in the days and weeks after Pope Francis came to the city for a historic weekend. But it caused months of angst leading up to the event. Much of the unease settled around what became the planned shutdown of Center City to vehicle traffic.

Henry cautioned that the DNC is very different from the papal visit last September.

“This is not the papal visit. This is much smaller in scope and much smaller in scale. So the security footprint is going to be much smaller,” Henry said. “The impacts are really minimal. We’re fortunate the sports complex is more isolated, certainly than the papal visit in Center City.”

He noted that parts of South Broad Street, Pattison Avenue, and North 11th Street surrounding the Sports Complex will be intermittently closed during the DNC, and that ramps to and from Interstate 95 may close for short periods of time as well.

Planning for the DNC began shortly after Pope Francis left town, he said.

More than 20 subcommittees are examining, among other things, infrastructure, transportation, security, and crowd management, and involve dozens of government agencies.

Henry, who was the Secret Service’s second-in-command for the papal visit, said he could not speculate about the size of protests in the area surrounding the Wells Fargo Center.

FDR Park, which is across South Broad Street from the arena, has been designated a protest zone by the city. Pro-Bernie Sanders protesters have secured permits to demonstrate from Sunday through Thursday of the DNC week. In applying for those permits, protest organizers estimated up to 30,000 people could take part.

“We don’t generally give estimates or speculate on how many people are going to show up for a particular protest. That’s not what we do,” Henry said.

FDR Park will be outside of the security perimeter, Henry said, but he added that without going into specifics yet “the perimeter will not be any bigger than it needs to be.”

“It’s still in a little bit of flux,” he said. “Not unlike the papal visit, the perimeter was in a state of flux for, really, up until a couple weeks, if not even closer, to the event, before it was firmed up.”

His attention to immigration issues convinced the National Border Patrol [...]]]> Donald Trump made his first big splash as a presidential candidate by speaking honestly about the crushing problems of immigration, particularly the illegal variety. His pledge to build a big border wall with Mexico paying for it is a hu-u-u-u-ge crowd pleaser during campaign speeches.

His attention to immigration issues convinced the National Border Patrol Council (a union with a membership of nearly 17,000) to recommend Trump for president. A March 30 Breitbart story includes the NBPC’s statement and an audio interview with BB Texas manager Brandon Darby: National Border Patrol Council Endorses Trump for President.

Brandon Judd, President of the National Border Patrol Council, testified last September during a House hearing that only 40 percent of the border is under operational control. So the physical border is still a sieve that invites drugs and jihadist enemies.

Basic border security remains a challenge.

Brandon Judd appeared on Fox News Thursday morning to discuss his group’s endorsement, a step into politics the NBPC has never taken before:

DONALD TRUMP (campaign clips): I will build a great great wall on our southern border and I will have Mexico pay for that wall — mark my words. . . The Border Patrol’s invited me because it got to do they want to be able to do their job. . . We have thousands and thousands of illegal immigrants in our country not only taking jobs but many of them are causing problems beyond belief. . . Many killings, murders, crime, drugs pouring across the border — our money going out and the drugs coming in and I said we need to build a wall, and it has to be built quickly.

BRIAN KILMEADE: Now as this race progresses for the Republican nomination it gets down to the wire a group that is never ever before endorsed candidate in a presidential primary is breaking tradition by throwing its support behind Donald Trump. Meet Brandon Judd. He is the president of the National Border Patrol Council which speaks on behalf of nearly 17,000 Border Patrol agents. Brandon how tough was this decision for you to make this unprecedented move?

BRANDON JUDD: It was a very tough decision. We had to look at all candidates, we had to vet candidates thoroughly, we had to look at where their positions were on the border, and frankly Donald Trump has the strongest position on the border and he’s always had the strongest position on the border.

KILMEADE: He has been strong but Ted Cruz’s people, he said I’m from Texas I’ve known about the problem on the border, I’ve been strong in the border. What do you have to say to them?

JUDD: Well again, I have to look at who brought this issue to the forefront, who is continuously talking about this issue and frankly that’s Donald Trump.

KILMEADE: Right and thats Donald Trump, so what was his reaction when when the camp got word that you are doing this?

JUDD: Well, I think they were very pleased because it shows that the agents on the border — I’ve been an agent in the National Border Patrol Council for about 18 years, I’ve seen the lawlessness on the border I’ve chased aliens through the brush, through the mountains and he has seen how that affects the morale of the Border Patrol not being able to do your job and he wants to take those handcuffs off.

KILMEADE: Brandon, would a wall help?

JUDD: Yes, in strategic places. There are certain places that we don’t have to have a wall but that’s a conversation that Donald Trump is willing to have with those people the agents who actually patrol the border — he’s willing to have that conversation with them.

KILMEADE: I see you made this statement he represents 17,000 people that can make a real difference by the way you talk about a contrast, you’re probably not gonna find it with Cruz and Kasich, but you’ll find with Hillary who said last Thursday I think you’ve done a really good job securing the border. Who’s right here?

JUDD: Well I promise you, Hilary is not right. All you have to do is look at the numbers as far as how many arrests we make, how many got aways there are. If you look at how many persons from countries of of special interest like Afghanistan, Pakistan are entering our country illegally, those numbers are our way up. And so I’m afraid that Hillary Clinton is wrong on that front.

KILMEADE: Brandon, thanks for making news here and a very big step in supporting a candidate at this point in the process.