[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 17, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3425-S3426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to make a few 
brief comments on the immigration proposals that we will be debating 
over the next few days. My first observation is to recognize the 
distinct set of issues that relate to and will be debated with respect 
to legal and illegal immigration. I commend the work of the Judiciary 
Committee for recognizing the merits of considering two separate bills 
rather than one package, and I strongly endorse the committee's 
position.
  Mr. President, what I hear from many of my constituents on the issue 
of immigration is the growing costs absorbed by the system, that is 
Federal, State, county, and local governments, to continue to provide 
public services and benefits to the immigrant community. And recently, 
in my home State of Colorado, the increasing number of illegal 
immigrants, in particular, has been a growing concern.
  Further, recent statistics, compiled by the Congressional Research 
Service and other recent studies, clearly document the enormous 
financial burden placed on Government entities to provide services to 
the immigrant community. It is my belief that without significant 
changes to curb the flow of illegal immigration, and to revisit current 
benefits bestowed to legal and illegal immigrants, this financial 
burden will continue to increase dramatically.
  For example, a recent study out of Rice University, concluded that 
immigration costs to the United States exceeded $50 billion in 1994 
alone. While the conclusion reached in this study are subject to 
debate, there is nonetheless a compelling need for significant change.
  With over 4 million illegal aliens currently in this country, and 
over 300,000 arriving annually, the increasing burdens on our society 
demand our attention.
  I would like to point out that in my home State of Colorado, for the 
5-month period from November 1995 through March 1996, the Immigration 
and Naturalization Service [INS], contacted a total of 3,486 illegals. 
Of those, 2,014 were deported, while 1,472 were let go.
  Mr. President, I would like to bring your attention to a newspaper 
article from the Denver Post dated April 12, 1996, that reads in part, 
``Last week, a van filled with 29 illegal immigrants was stopped on 
Interstate 70 in Grand Junction, but a lack of detention funds kept the 
INS from arresting them or their driver.''
  These incidents come just days after the INS Operation Mountain 
Passes ended. As a result of this program, designed to specifically 
crack down on smugglers, roughly 1,300 illegal immigrants were stopped, 
arrested, and deported. However, and not so ironic, when the money ran 
out this program ended.
  Again as recently as Monday, in Colorado Springs, CO, a van 
containing 13 suspected illegal immigrants was stopped by the Colorado 
State Patrol. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason the INS could not 
respond. Because the State patrol does not have the authority to arrest 
illegal immigrants, these individuals were released. This represents 
the second time in less than a week that suspected illegal immigrants 
have been released because of inadequate INS response capability.
  As a result of changes in the dynamics of illegal immigration 
migration Colorado has now become a major corridor for illegal 
immigrants migrating east. Without the assistance of increased law 
enforcement efforts, such as Operation Mountain Passes, I am concerned 
that these successful efforts may be curtailed.
  While I support efforts to increase law enforcement efforts to curb 
illegal immigration, both at the border and to other impacted States, I 
do have concerns with provisions adopted in the House measure that may 
be considered in this Chamber.

  Primarily, I am concerned with the provisions adopted in the House 
bill that seek to deny public education to illegal immigrant children 
as a means of reducing the flow of illegal immigrants into this 
country. Congress should not be so overzealous in its endeavor to 
reduce the influx of illegal aliens that we adopt stopgap measures that 
are actually destined to increase the demands on public funding by 
expanding the number of America's undereducated and unemployed.
  Any provision that seeks to deny children access to education will 
place

[[Page S3426]]

a massive burden upon our already overburdened community services, 
schools, and local law enforcement agencies. At a time when local and 
State leaders are making strenuous efforts to keep kids off the streets 
and in school, education should be employed as an important tool to 
help solve America's problems, not used as a weapon against its most 
helpless victims.
  Mr. President, reducing the flow of illegal immigrants must first 
focus upon measures that will actually restrict and hopefully prevent 
illegal immigrants from entering this country. I support provisions in 
S. 1664, the Immigration Control and Financial Responsibility Act of 
1996, that provides for more border patrol agents, as well as the 
addition of 300 full-time Immigration and Naturalization Service 
investigators for each of the next 3 fiscal years. I believe these 
provisions will provide a much needed boost to the understaffed and 
overworked agencies that we entrust to keep illegal aliens out of this 
country. Our focus, again, should be on the prevention and control of 
illegal immigration, rather than on retribution for illegally 
immigrating to this country.
  Each of my colleagues brings a certain perspective to the immigration 
debate. I have listened to much of the debate and realized that the 
great lot of us are products of immigrant families. Personally, I 
believe I have unique perspective to add to the debate.
  Over 60 years ago, my mother legally immigrated from Portugal. Like 
many people during that time she wanted the opportunity to make a 
better life for herself and an opportunity to succeed, but to do so in 
a law abiding way. While on the other hand, my father comes from 
people, the Northern Cheyenne people, who can document their ties to 
this land, to this continent for hundreds of years prior to the first 
explorers of this continent. If I were to take his advice, and the 
advice of many native American people, they might suggest that we all 
pack our bags and go home.
  Obviously reality dictates real and pragmatic solutions. However, I 
might also observe that it seems ironic that if this same debate were 
to take place 100 years ago many of my colleagues, including myself, 
might not be here today.
  In closing, I look forward to the debate on these immigration 
proposals and hope that this Chamber can adopt fair and effective 
immigration reform. Let us remember that, with few exceptions, we are 
all ancestors of immigrants.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of an article 
that appeared in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, on 
immigration, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           Suspected Illegal Aliens Let Go After INS No-Show

                        (By Teresa Owen-Cooper)

       Thirteen suspected illegal immigrants from Mexico were 
     detained briefly in Colorado Springs on Monday night but 
     released after federal authorities couldn't respond to take 
     them into custody, according to the Colorado State Patrol.
       The 12 men and one woman from Oaxaca, Mexico, on their way 
     to Tennessee to pick fruit, were stopped on Interstate 25 
     near U.S. Highway 24 about 7 p.m. after their van was 
     weaving, said state patrol trooper Chuck Coffrin.
       Coffrin found 13 people inside the 1972 Ford panel van, and 
     none were able to produce documentation that they were U.S. 
     citizens, officials said.
       State patrol officials called the U.S. Immigration and 
     Naturalization Service, who couldn't respond, Coffrin said, 
     adding that the INS gave no indication why.
       Because the state patrol doesn't have authority to arrest 
     illegal immigrants, the 13 people were released, Coffrin 
     said.
       It was the second time in less than a week that the state 
     patrol has stopped a van carrying suspected illegal 
     immigrants from Mexico and been forced to release them 
     because the INS didn't take action.
       On Thursday, the state patrol stopped a van, carrying 19 
     people, on I-25 about 15 miles south of Colorado Springs, 
     because their van was weaving, according to the state patrol.

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