We spent time down near the border in AZ when we were traveling by RV. Little over a year ago. There was no border patrol at the border down south of I-10 or I-8 in AZ.
All the patrols were north of the border and there is no border fence to speak of. We were warned by other travelers not to stay around after dark and most of the camping spots were empty.
I live in Sierra Vista, 15 miles north of the border and 15 miles south of the checkpoint on AZ90.
I have neighbors who are BP officers.
They do have a presence along the border road that parallels the International Boundary. They don’t have enough officers to provide a blanket presence.
The Senator’s statement that they aren’t on the border just is not true. At least, not by my way of defining ‘on the border’. If you can see them crossing into the US, you’re on the border.