[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 24, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE BORDER PATROL IN FLORIDA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Foley] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to address the House on a problem we 
are having in Florida and we are having all across the Nation. Last 
evening we had a chance to hear the President deliver his speech on the 
future of America. One of the things he emphasized was on changing and 
enforcing immigration procedures in our country.
  It is ironic that this past week the Immigration and Naturalization 
Service announced that is was taking eight Border Patrol agents from 
Florida and moving them to the southwest border of the United States. 
Clearly I know that we are having extraordinary problems on the borders 
of Mexico, but Florida also is being inundated by illegal immigrants.
  What has happened with our Border Patrol has been a diminishing from 
85 agents in 1988 to half that strength of 42 agents today, after these 
agents are detailed to the southwest border. In my home district, the 
Palm Beach Border Patrol Office will shrink to just three agents and 
one supervisor who are responsible for covering eight counties and 120 
miles of coastline. At the same time, the number of Border Patrol and 
Coast Guard interceptions of Cubans and Haitians for the first 2 months 
of 1996 fiscal year, 1,248 interceptions, is almost as high as the 
total number of interceptions for the entire 1995 fiscal year, which 
totaled 1,789 interceptions--1,248 in 2 months, 1,789 during the whole 
fiscal year of 1995.
  Just yesterday Border Patrol agents arrested eight illegals who were 
working at a school construction site in West Palm Beach, FL. The total 
number of criminal alien apprehensions in the Miami sector last year 
totaled 1,857 people, criminal alien apprehensions in the Miami sector. 
These statistics clearly demonstrate the critical need for a stronger 
Border Patrol force in Florida, so it amazes me that the INS apparently 
ignores this data making policy decisions.
  I fully support a strong Border Patrol force for the entire United 
States, but not by slashing the number of Florida agents. I had a 
chance to go out with the gentleman from California, Mr. Gallegly, and 
others, the gentleman from California, Duke Cunningham, and survey the 
border of Mexico. I understand their problem. I wholeheartedly support 
strengthening our enforcement on the border. However, Florida, much 
like California, Texas, and Arizona, has a similar problem. It is 
simply insane to remove agents from a State like Florida which 
continues to be strained by illegal immigration, insane.

  Ironically, the day after the announcement to detail Florida agents, 
the Center for Immigration Studies released a new report stating that 
Florida remains the third largest recipient of illegal immigrants, with 
one of nine illegal immigrants in the United States residing in 
Florida. In fact, the report suggests that the illegal immigrant 
population in our State could be as high as 450,000 today. The State of 
Florida estimates that in 1993 alone, State and local governments have 
spent around $884 million on undocumented aliens.
  In addition, there are approximately 5,504 criminal aliens in State 
correction facilities on any given day, costing Florida taxpayers on 
average $14,000 per inmate annually, 5,504 illegals in our State prison 
system, 5,504 beds that could be made available for rapists, murderers, 
and drug dealers. The INS decision to cut Florida Border Patrol agents 
further erodes our already limited resources and threatens the security 
of our borders.
  In fact, by INS taking eight agents out of Florida, they have in fact 
said ``Welcome, one and all. Come to the State, because we are no 
longer enforcing the laws of this land.'' The action sends the wrong 
message to illegal immigrants, and it is simply not in the best 
interests of the State of Florida nor of the United States of America.
  If, Mr. Speaker, the President is serious about changing the way 
Government operates in Washington, if we are in fact talking about the 
State of the Union of this country, the State of the Union of this 
country, then one of our most important challenges is to protect and 
secure our borders from illegal entry.
  I welcome people to this country. My grandmother came from Poland. 
She had a sponsored job waiting and a clean bill of health. I want 
people who come to this country with a clear indication of wanting to 
support the values we hold dear. I commend you, Mr. President, for your 
speech. I commend the enthusiasm by which you lead this country. I urge 
you and I urge our leadership to sit down and work the details out of 
all the problems we face, but if we are in fact to have a safe and free 
Nation, we must protect ourselves from illegal immigration.

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