Mark Kelly: Border Wall a ’17th Century Solution’ to Illegal Migration

Democrat Senate candidate Mark Kelly says a border wall at the United States-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking is a “17th-century solution.”

During a Tuesday night debate against Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), Kelly called building a border wall a “17th-century solution” to securing Arizona from large inflows of illegal immigration and drug trafficking and instead touted “technology” that has been tried and failed in the past.

“I would not provide a 17th Century solution to this,” Kelly said.

“To build a wall for 2,000 miles of border, $20 million a mile, those resources could be used for the technology, it could be used for more Border Patrol agents on the border, these are … there are smart ways to address this,” Kelly continued.

Kelly’s comments are in stark contrast to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and local officials who say a wall along the border in Arizona is critical to stopping illegal immigration and drug trafficking from overflowing into their communities.

Border walls have proven immensely effective for the state of Arizona. When barriers were built near Tuscon, Arizona, illegal border crossings fell by 90 percent over 15 years. Near Yuma, Arizona, when barriers were built, illegal border crossings dropped by 95 percent over nine years.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.