[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H1574-H1575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IMMIGRATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, tonight I want to talk about an 
issue that I think has enormous impact on the future of our Nation.
  Unlike many issues that we deal with, such as crime or taxes, which 
are likewise dealt with by our colleagues at the State and local level, 
this issue is one which is exclusively the responsibility of the 
Federal Government. That issue is immigration.
  As a Nation of immigrants, many of us are reluctant to deal with this 
matter because we are concerned that we will be accused of being 
prejudiced or having an ethnic bias. However, the overriding issue is 
not that we are a Nation of immigrants, but that we are primarily a 
Nation of laws. We have immigration laws which define who will be 
allowed into our country.
  The increasingly evident truth is that our immigration laws are being 
flaunted, and the Federal agency charged with enforcing these laws, the 
Immigration and Naturalization Service, the INS, is failing to fulfill 
the obligations to our citizens. It is appropriate to ask why. Is it 
because this administration has made the enforcement of our immigration 
laws a very low priority, and if so, why is that so?
  The facts are very clear. There are an estimated 5.5 million illegal 
immigrants currently living in the United States. An additional 275,000 
to 300,000 illegal aliens are coming to our country every year. Even 
though the INS removed a record 169,000 illegals last year, it was not 
as many as entered the country illegally during the same time period.
  What are the consequences of this invasion by illegals? While it is 
true that many of these individuals are hardworking people who keep 
certain industries and enterprises supplied with needed labor, the 
costs to local school systems, health care agencies, and law 
enforcement groups are tremendous.
  About 221,000 foreign-born criminals are in Federal, State, and local 
jails. About two-thirds of them are illegal immigrants. Another 142,000 
are on parole or probation, and are subject to being deported under the 
provisions of the 1996 Immigration Reform Act. An additional 161,000 
have disappeared after receiving deportation orders. That means that 
there are approximately a half a million aliens who have committed 
crimes for which they are either in our prisons or are being subject to 
being deported, and that, Mr. Speaker, is almost the amount of people 
who constitute an entire congressional district.

[[Page H1575]]

  In many parts of this country, my congressional district included, no 
criminal court can be held without the availability of an interpreter. 
Drive-by shootings by gangs made up of illegal immigrants has become 
commonplace.
  What is the Federal Government doing about this problem? Since 1995, 
the budget for the INS has been substantially increased so that it is 
almost $4 billion for the current fiscal year. Congress has mandated 
that the INS add at least 1,000 new border agents every year until the 
year 2001, but has this been done? Is the INS using its $4 billion to 
enforce the letter and spirit of the 1996 Immigration Reform Act? The 
answer is a resounding no.
  In his latest budget, President Clinton has decided to cut off 
funding to hire the new 1,000 agents. It seems that the Clinton 
administration has decided not only to undermine Congress' get-tough 
immigration laws, but to completely ignore them altogether.

                              {time}  2100

  The Border Patrol is only the most obvious component of a system of 
law enforcement that should cover both the border and interior 
enforcement. Even though it continues to receive most of the attention, 
about 40 percent of all illegal aliens in this country came here 
legally and simply overstayed their visas. Therefore, interior 
enforcement is an integral part of protecting the integrity of our 
borders.
  Yet the INS field offices were recently told that their interior 
enforcement budgets would be cut by as much as 90 percent from last 
year's level. The INS's eastern region, covering States east of the 
Mississippi River, was told that its enforcement budget for fiscal year 
1999 has been cut from more than $10 million down to $1 million.
  The INS has begun a policy of releasing illegal aliens that they feel 
they cannot afford to detain. The INS plans to release at least 2,000 
illegal immigrants, including people who have been convicted of arson, 
armed robbery, manslaughter, drug trafficking, alien smuggling and 
firearms violations. A spokesman for the INS acknowledges that 
detainees who get released probably will not ever be deported, since 9 
out of 10 are never found again.
  Agents in field offices are being told, ``If you need money to do a 
case,'' then simply ``do not send it up.'' A senior investigating 
official said that without more detention space, there is little point 
in arresting people because ``they get home before you do.''
  The administration's refusal to allocate the appropriate funding for 
interior enforcement is not even the biggest hindrance to the 
enforcement of our laws. In what is called a major shift in strategy, 
the INS has decided to discontinue such practices as traditional 
workplace raids and instead emphasize only operations against foreign 
criminals, alien smugglers, and document fraud.
  What should be done about this situation? Mr. Speaker, I call on you 
and my other colleagues to let officials at the INS and in the 
administration know that ignoring or undermining our Nation's laws will 
not be tolerated. I call on each of us to throw a spotlight on the 
INS's operations, to call them to task on laws that are being flouted 
and policies that have seemingly been forgotten.
  I would ask us all, if we wish to maintain our Nation of immigrants, 
of letting those who wait in line and bide their time and abide by the 
laws that we have in place so that they can come legally in this 
country, then we must not ignore the fact that our immigration lawyers 
are being ignored and the policies are not being enforced.

                          ____________________