[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 118 (Thursday, July 20, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                            INS CHECKPOINTS

                                 ______


                            HON. RON PACKARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 20, 1995
  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues 
the concerns of Richard and Anne Hicks of Laguna Niguel, constituents 
from my district. In a letter to me, they expressed their frustration 
with the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] inland border 
checkpoints in California. Closing the inland check points and 
reallocating these resources to the California border is cost effective 
and efficient. I have the same concerns as Mr. and Mrs. Hicks and I 
would like to share their comments with you.

       Today on our way to/from San Diego from Laguna Niguel--we 
     were disgusted while observing the huge traffic back-up 
     surrounding the San Clemente outpost. This is a low payoff 
     investigation as it is 60 miles north of the border. We 
     resent this intrusion especially when it deters 
     transportation on our busy Southern California freeways, and 
     uses the `needle in the hay stack' method of immigration 
     control.

  Mr. Speaker, I support controlling illegal immigration. My 
constituents understand first hand, just how ineffective inland 
checkpoints are.
  Effective and efficient control starts at the borders themselves, not 
60 miles north. I attached an amendment to the 1996 Commerce, Justice, 
State bill to move scarce resources from the checkpoints to the border. 
In order to stop illegal immigrants in their tracks, we need to plug up 
the source--the California-Mexico border.


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