Washington, Mar 20 - Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) announced today that he will travel to the US-Mexican border next Tuesday near Tucson, Arizona, to meet with US Customs and Border Patrol officials and observe their efforts to secure the US border.

“I’m taking this trip because I want to see firsthand the challenges and difficulties our Border Patrol is facing as they work to secure our southern border,” Braley said.  “I’ve long said that the first step in fixing the immigration problem is to secure our borders.  I want to talk to agents and officials on the front lines myself and hear from them what’s working, what isn’t, and what needs to be done to fix our broken borders.

“There’s only so much you can learn from studies and reports—sometimes it’s important to see things for yourself.  My hope is that my trip to the border will give me more insight into this important issue as it comes before Congress in the days ahead.”

The itinerary of Braley’s Arizona-Mexico border trip includes a tour of the border, border crossings, and points of entry; meetings with Customs and Border Patrol officials and command; and briefings on the technology, infrastructure, and personnel being used to patrol the border. 

Braley will make the trip with several other members of Congress. 

More details on the trip will be released as they become available.