Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly shut down Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela's (Texas) comment that building a border wall "just does not make any sense to me" during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
Kelly responded by highlighting how drugs and illegal immigrants come up through America's southwest border in droves.
"If 100 percent of heroine, methamphetamines, and cocaine are coming in through the southwest border and hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens are coming up through the southwest border, and billions of dollars worth of counterfeit goods are trafficked up through–you know, watches and electronics and things like that–are coming up through the southwest border, I think that argues for that we do something on the southwest border."
"And again," Kelly continued, "the people that work the problem everyday, CVP, are telling me, us, as elected officials, that we need a combination of barriers and technology."
Kelly said that he sees no other option, adding that the southern border is a huge weakness in the nation's defenses.
"I don't see any other option. I mean, it is a gaping wound in our defenses–drugs, people, the whole bit," Kelly said. "So we've got to do something down there, and I don't get your point about–"
Vela interrupted to say that he agrees "we have to do something."