Congressman Dusty Johnson’s Weekly Column: Securing the Border from South Dakota

Securing the Border from South Dakota
By Rep. Dusty Johnson


Click here to learn how a Yankton company is supplying technology to the southern border

Securing our border has been at the forefront of this administration’s agenda and rightfully so. I traveled down to the southern border earlier this year and real progress is being made there, however, there is more work to be done.

In the last year, we experienced a true crisis on our southern border with unprecedented numbers of illegal border crossings. Congress and the administration have been focused on how best to combat this crisis, so I welcomed the opportunity to visit a business right here in South Dakota that is playing a key part in increasing security at our borders.

There are big things happening at Ehresmann Engineering in Yankton. Family owned and operated since 1983, this organization has been involved in border security for twenty years. Ehresmann produces remote video surveillance systems (RVSS) for use along our southern and northern border, with most of their towers utilized at the southern border.

When we think border security, most people think of the border wall. Of course, a physical barrier is a crucial part of the solution and many new miles of fencing and concrete wall are currently being built or updated. However, advanced technology and structures like the ones produced at Ehresmann play a key role in the solution to our border crisis. When I visited the border last year, one of my major takeaways was a variety of solutions are needed to ensure optimum security. When you pair physical structures with technology like Ehresmann’s RVSSs, our border is better protected, and our patrol agents have a wider range of tools to monitor our borders to the best of their ability.

This past year, we made significant progress on the southern border. From May to September, we saw a 64 percent decrease in border apprehensions. That’s unprecedented improvement, and it’s in part thanks to the work of organizations like Ehresmann Engineering. I was proud to see during my visit that the hard work of South Dakotans is paying off in a big way for the security of our country. I look forward to seeing American innovation like what we are seeing in South Dakota continue to advance our border security.

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