[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 11, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H3164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SECURING AMERICA'S BORDERS AND COMBATING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues in 
this Congress to continue fighting illegal immigration in our great 
country.
  My Republican colleagues were joined by 42 sensible Democrats to make 
great strides towards securing our borders by enacting the 
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission with the passage of the REAL ID 
Act. As a freshman Member of this House, I am honored to have played a 
role in that process.
  However, Mr. Speaker, more still can and must be done to secure our 
borders and combat illegal immigration. The terrorist attacks on our 
homeland highlighted the potentially disastrous effects of porous 
borders and the need to bolster border security.
  The problem of illegal immigration also has additional far-reaching, 
dangerous effects. Ultimately, it punishes all who follow the laws and 
processes of the United States.
  Immigration affects virtually every aspect of life in America. I am 
happy to have supported the amendments of both the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) 
to H.R. 1279 that just passed here today.

                              {time}  1800

  The Goodlatte amendment adds 5 years to any sentence for violent 
crime for drug trafficking when the offender is an illegal alien and 
adds 15 years to a sentence if the alien has previously been deported 
for a criminal offense and subsequently committed a crime of violence 
or drug trafficking. The amendment also requires the Homeland Security 
Department to give the National Crime Information Center the names of 
all individuals subject to deportation orders or who have signed 
voluntary deportation papers.
  The Norwood amendment requires the Justice and Homeland Security 
Departments to conduct a joint study and to report to Congress within 1 
year on the connection between illegal aliens and gang membership.
  I was torn on voting for H.R. 1279 because of my concern for States' 
rights, but I was swayed in the end to vote for it because of the 
number of illegal aliens involved in gangs. With more than a million 
legal and illegal immigrants settling in the United States each year, a 
level higher than at any other time in our Nation's history, 
immigration has an impact on education, health care, Social Security, 
taxes, employment, the environment, crime and countless other areas of 
American life.
  I sympathize with those who desperately wish to live the American 
dream here on American soil. I understand their desire for liberty, 
free markets and guaranteed rights. The demand for access to America is 
a resounding testament to the greatness of our Nation. However, 
immigration laws exist to provide the necessary steps for safe and 
legal entry into this country. We have an immigration process in place 
that simply must be followed.
  Illegal immigration must be stopped, but we cannot and should not 
close our doors to those who wish to enter the country legally. We must 
increase our efforts at achieving closed borders with open guarded 
doors.

                          ____________________