Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is the US representative from Texas' 28th District. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN) I was born and raised on the US-Mexico border, and I represent 290 miles of that border today. I know from personal and professional experience that a physical wall would be ineffective at reducing the number of undocumented people and the amount of illegal drugs that come across the border into the United States, a point I tried to explain in Tuesday's bipartisan meeting with President Donald Trump.

The more effective ways to secure the border -- which Democrats could support -- include the use of modern technology, increased border personnel and better coordination with our southern neighbor.

Henry Cuellar

As a member of Congress, I am in frequent contact with experts, including US Border Patrol agents and US Border Patrol sector chiefs, who have reaffirmed my belief that expanding the wall won't help much in securing the border. We already have permanent walls and fences in the highest traffic areas -- and they have proven to be unsuccessful. Between 2010 and 2015, the current 654 mile pedestrian wall was breached 9,287 times

Instead of a wall, we should increase the use of modern technology, including cameras, fixed towers and aerial and underground sensors. Violent drug cartels are using more modern technology to breach our border than we are using to secure it. We can't double down on a 14th century solution to a 21st century challenge if we want a viable long-term solution.

A physical barrier also doesn't address the illicit trafficking of people and narcotics or the issues surrounding visa overstays. The majority of illicit narcotics enter the United States via our land ports of entry, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2016 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary. A more efficient use of limited tax dollars would be to invest heavily in state-of-the-art detection technologies and strengthen the US Customs and Border Protection's Container Security Initiative to mitigate illicit trafficking.