The chairman of the House Homeland Security committee said Tuesday in South Texas that the U.S. Border Patrol’s resources in the area are “woefully inadequate.”U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, made the comments after cruising the Rio Grande with Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety officials in Mission.McCaul’s House bill calling for a plan to secure the border is expected to be the first of several immigration-related bills taken up after the chamber’s August recess. McCaul is also leading a group of congressmen along the border, stopping this weekend in California and Arizona. Accompanying McCaul on Tuesday were...

The Senate immigration bill provides a basis for the immigration debate in the United States. A key provision of the bill is an additional $46 billion for increased border security. While this level of spending will likely be included in the final compromise bill, it is not the best use of resources. As a recent Woodrow Wilson Center report argued, we have reached the point of diminishing returns on border security. Instead of trying to create an impenetrable wall at the border, we should use the resources to reinforce law enforcement in the nation’s interior, especially in border states,...