[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        LET'S GET SERIOUS ON THE WAR ON DRUGS AND ILLEGAL ALIENS

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                      HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Saturday, November 8, 1997

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year I introduced 
legislation, H.R. 805, that authorizes the use of military personnel to 
assist the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] and the U.S. 
Customs Service in their border patrol functions. It passed in the 
House overwhelmingly as an amendment to the fiscal year 1998 Defense 
authorization bill was pulled during the deliberation of the conference 
report. Yesterday I introduced legislation that expands on that 
important piece of legislation.
  According to the official estimates, between 5 and 7 tons of illegal 
drugs are smuggled across our borders every day. In addition, thousands 
of aliens are snubbing Federal immigration laws and crossing our 
borders illegally daily. Federal agencies are complaining of being 
outmatched in both manpower and firepower by the drug lords and their 
henchmen. Law enforcement personnel are increasingly becoming targets 
of the violence. Barry R. McCaffrey, chief of the White House Office of 
National Drug Control Policy, received a death threat from the Tijuana 
cartel during an August tour of the border. Michael T. Horn, the Drug 
Enforcement Administration's chief of international operations, 
identifies the Mexican drug cartels as the ``greatest law-enforcement 
threat facing the United States today.''
  According to the United Nations, drug trafficking has become a $400 
billion-a-year business worldwide. Illegal drugs are bigger business 
than all exports of automobiles and about equal to the worldwide trade 
in textiles. More than 13 million U.S. residents buy illicit drugs and 
use them at least once per month, spending each year between $50 to 
$100 billion. The addictive nature of these drugs, their high price and 
their illegality may play a role in as much as half the street crime in 
the United States. Drug related criminal activity is seen as one of the 
main reasons for the substantial growth of the U.S. prison population 
and over one million persons are arrested each year on drug related 
charges in the United States.
  Without question, the border should be patrolled by the Border 
Patrol. But the reality is, the INS is having an extremely difficult 
time hiring the 1,000 Border Patrol agents a year mandated by Congress. 
Currently, we have about 6,600 Border Patrol agents. The White House 
recently stated that 20,000 Border Patrol agents are needed to property 
patrol the border. We are not even close to meeting that figure.
  My new legislation authorizes the Secretary of Defense to assign 
members of the Armed Forces, under certain circumstances and subject to 
certain conditions, to assist the INS and Customs in monitoring and 
patrolling our borders to stop the ever increasing flow of illegal 
aliens and illegal narcotics. It also establishes a training program 
for troops being deployed on our borders that would ensure that 
military personnel receive the proper training in border security 
procedures. It provides for specific information to be disseminated 
regarding issues affecting law enforcement in the areas of deployment. 
It directs a civilian law enforcement officer to accompany any 
deployment of troops to search, seize, and/or arrest any person who is 
suspected of criminal activity. And finally, it directs the Attorney 
General or the Secretary of the Treasury to notify the Governor and 
local officials of any State where military troops will be deployed and 
what type of tasks will be performed.
  Our country is being invaded, and what better way to quell this 
invasion and protect our national security than utilizing the U.S. 
military. The military has the technology and manpower that we 
desperately need on our borders right now. Something must be done.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people have spoken loud and clear. They do 
not want an open door policy when it comes to illegal aliens and drugs. 
Our national sovereignty is at stake. This is a good bill that makes 
sense. I urge my colleagues to join me in this fight and cosponsor this 
important piece of legislation.




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