[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 27, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EMERGENCY IMMIGRATION WORKLOAD REDUCTION AND HOMELAND SECURITY 
                        ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2005

  Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today still afraid for our nation's 
security. Not because of terror alerts, but because our borders remain 
porous. The enforcement of our immigration policy is impotent, 
resulting in a continued flood of illegal immigrants across our 
borders.
  It is time for the federal government to stop letting unchecked mass 
immigration undermine the wages, safety, and benefits in one occupation 
after another. It is time for the federal government to moderate 
immigration and to treat American workers, citizen and immigrant, with 
the respect they deserve.
  Our constituents did not elect us to help cheapen the quality of 
their lives by importing foreign workers at six to eight times the 
historical average. There is no getting around the fact that when we 
cheapen labor with unchecked illegal immigration, we cheapen our 
neighbors, both citizens and immigrants alike.
  Today, I introduce the Emergency Immigration Workload Reduction and 
Homeland Security Enhancement Act of 2005. This legislation would 
suspend certain nonessential visas in order to provide temporary 
workload reduction critical to the success of the immigration component 
of the recently established Department of Homeland Security. These 
suspensions would be lifted following the certification by Secretary of 
Homeland Security to Congress that specific conditions ensuring the 
department's ability to carry out its enforcement responsibilities have 
been met.
  Zealous enforcement of our immigration laws is a critical first step; 
however, Congress must look at the root causes of our policy flaws. In 
this era of global terrorism, we must re-evaluate our immigration 
policy and close these outstanding loopholes to give the Department of 
Homeland Security the tools it needs to protect our soil.
  I call on my colleagues to join me in working to reform our 
immigration policies and to halt the cheapening of America's citizen 
and immigrant workers. Without real immigration reform, our borders 
will not be safe and our citizens will be at risk.

                          ____________________