DHS nominee: Border wall alone ‘will not do the job’

During his Tuesday confirmation hearing, retired Gen. John F. Kelly, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of Homeland Security, said of the proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall that “a physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job.”

Kelly emphasized to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that the brunt of the work keeping the U.S. safe from national security threats needs to be handled by agents on the ground and better technology. 

His comments came during his first round of confirmation questions, conducted by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain asked Kelly if he agreed with his position that “building a wall is not the way to keep out drugs or people.”

{mosads}Kelly’s remarks downplay what had been a key initiative in Trump’s immigration policy and a cornerstone of his campaign — a wall on the southern border to stem the flow of illegal immigration and drugs.