[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 48 (Thursday, March 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E590]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMARKS ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK FOLEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 25, 1999

  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, last week a man was forced to mourn the loss 
of his wife, not once, but twice in one week.
  After believing that he had buried his wife Michaelle--who was one of 
the victims of the ill-fated boat of Haitian refugees that sunk off the 
coast of Florida March 5--Mr. Edner Doirin was informed that the morgue 
originally gave him the wrong body. So he had to endure a second burial 
to lay his wife to rest.
  This is tragic in itself. But what makes it intolerable is that Mr. 
Doirin's wife should never have had to be buried at all.
  She should be alive and well. Instead, she is one of the many victims 
of an illegal smuggling operation that treats human beings like cargo.
  The March 5 disaster that left as many as 40 people dead is one of 
the most historically deadly smuggling incidents ever off of our South 
Florida shores.
  And it came on the heels of a similar tragedy in mid-December, when 
as many as 13 people drowned in another illegal smuggling attempt.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States is clearly on the brink--again--of an 
illegal immigration crisis. In the short period between January 1 and 
March 10, there have been a total of 45 illegal landings, 31 
interdictions and 34 identified smuggling activities, resulting in over 
400 illegal alien entrants by sea.
  These are part of an effort by smugglers to take advantage of 
desperate, innocent people living in rapidly deteriorating conditions 
in Haiti, Cuba, and other impoverished or politically repressive 
countries.
  We have heard the Clinton Administration say that it is ``doing 
everything it can'' to address this situation and that--even after this 
recent tragedy--there is no need to change its policies or to target 
additional resources.
  I strongly, strongly disagree.
  I do not believe that this Administration has truly committed itself 
and the resources that Congress has given it to adequately addressing 
the problem of illegal immigration and alien smuggling.
  President Clinton has reportedly ignored his own immigration 
officials. He also has ignored the 1996 law that we passed in Congress 
that both provided funding and required that 1,000 new Border Patrol 
agents be hired each year from 1997 to 2001.
  They call this decision to intentionally ignore the law a decision 
to--quote--``take a breather.''
  Recently, INS Commissioner Doris Meissner testified before a Senate 
subcommittee that the Administration decided to ``take a breather''--
and say no--when she and Attorney General Reno both requested funding 
for the 1,000 new agents.
  And while the Administration is ``taking a breather,'' people are 
drowning off the coast of Florida.
  What angers me even more is to see my own state of Florida becoming 
the weak link and the focal point of current illegal smuggling efforts.
  While the number of immigration control agents has more than doubled 
during the past five years--to over 8,000--Florida hasn't seen an 
increase of agents in 10 years.
  In Florida, 52 Border Patrol agents are trying to stop an estimated 
12,000 illegals who come into Florida by sea each year. Because of 
their few numbers, the Border Patrol and Coast Guard together are only 
able to catch a mere 10% of them.
  Not only are there huge gaps in our Border Patrol, but the mechanisms 
designed to nab the illegal aliens that slip in are also failing.
  The INS has now decided to change their enforcement tactics and has 
suspended most surprise workplace inspections that would identify 
illegal workers and the employers who hire them.
  These once-successful tactics are not only being eliminated in 
Florida, but across the country. And the switch sends a clear message 
to illegal aliens and smugglers that they're OK unless they get caught 
committing a crime.
  I think it's unbelievable that our enforcement standards are going 
down just when illegal immigration is on the rise.
  Florida Governor Jeb Bush wrote to Attorney General Reno following 
our most recent tragedy requesting additional efforts. I would like to 
call upon the Clinton administration to honor his requests:
  He is asking--and I am asking--for:
  More effective intelligence operations to detect immigrant 
smuggling--The recent tragedy was detected by commercial ship, not U.S. 
intelligence.
  Greater interdiction efforts along the U.S. coast. More deaths could 
be prevented if boats of illegal immigrants were stopped at sea.
  Increased federal resources to make the prevention of immigrant 
smuggling a top priority, with an increased focus on South Florida.
  Expanded holding capacity for the Krome detention facility located in 
Miami-Dade county so that officials will be able to detain larger 
numbers of illegal aliens after raids.
  The creation of a federal task force to focus on smuggling.
  An aggressive public information campaign directed at smugglers.
  Mr. Speaker, people are dying--dying just short of Florida's shores, 
of America's shores. The responsibility for preventing these tragedies 
lies solely with the Administration, who has been given the way by 
Congress to act--but apparently not the will.
  I strongly urge President Clinton to mount an aggressive, relentless 
effort to put a stop to the insidious problem of illegal immigrant 
smuggling once and for all . . . before more lives are lost.

                          ____________________