U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was among Democratic lawmakers who called on President Trump to reopen the federal government Wednesday.
The government shutdown continues as President Trump calls for a border wall. Durbin says there is a crisis as illegal drugs come across the border from Mexico - but he says a wall won't fix it.
"Ninety percent of that narcotic smuggling effort comes through ports of entry - not over the desert sands in backpacks of people carrying them. Why don't we put the right technology at those ports of entry, to scan every car and truck to stop it?"
Durbin says there's a growing feeling that the shutdown must end - he says families are being hurt unnecessarily in a political showdown. He says the dispute over border security should be discussed, not used as a political tool.
"There are things that need to be negotiated and decided. Important things, like border security and the future of the DACA kids and dreamers. I think there's a strong, growing feeling here - a bipartisan feeling - that this should not be at the expense of the men and women who work for this federal government."
He says border security doesn't mean a permanent wall at the border - but it should mean smart investments in ways to strengthen trouble areas.
