[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 95 (Thursday, July 14, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S8248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BORDER SECURITY
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, people around the world know the United
States as a land of freedom and opportunity.
We have remained that way in large part because we open our doors to
immigrants.
We must continue to do so.
People come to America looking for a better life. We live better
lives because of them. They contribute to our economy. They help weave
the rich cultural fabric that makes up our society. But we must ensure
that immigrants who come to America come here legally.
We face a crisis. Over 7,000 miles of land stretch across our
borders. Our ports handle 16 million cargo containers. And 330 million
noncitizens--students, visitors and workers--cross our borders every
year.
An unprecedented flow of illegal immigrants, criminals, terrorists,
and unsecured cargo also cross our borders. This challenges our
standards of compassion and threatens our national security.
It also offers us an opportunity to define our Nation's future.
First and foremost, we face a grave humanitarian challenge. Last
year, several hundred people died in the deserts and mountains that
separate the United States from Mexico. Most died of exposure to the
elements. Some died in accidents. An alarming number were murdered.
Along Arizona's southern border--the only area for which we have good
data--over 20 people died as a result of hanging, blunt-force trauma,
gun shot wounds and other apparently deliberate means during 2004.
But we have this data collected only because of the work of an
Arizona newspaper. We don't know how many more corpses are buried in
shallow, unmarked graves. Nobody keeps a complete database of deaths
along our borders. And many apparent homicides go uninvestigated.
That's why I've asked the Government Accountability Office to produce
a report on the deaths along our border as a guide to future action.
We must protect our Nation from those who seek to enter it illegally.
But we have a higher, moral obligation to do our best to protect the
life of every person who sets foot on American soil.
Second, the insecurity of our borders threatens America's national
security. Each year, thousands of people cross our border illegally.
The vast majority seek little more than better lives for their
families. But some bring drugs. Some traffic in human beings. A few may
even have links to terrorist groups.
We don't know exactly how many come. We don't know their backgrounds.
Nor do we know who might want to harm us.
But we do know one thing: if drug dealers and human traffickers can
operate on our borders, terrorists can as well.
Our national security requires a safer, more secure border. And our
standards of compassion demand it. Anything else is morally
unacceptable. We must act swiftly.
At the right time, Congress must reform our laws to strengthen and
improve our immigration system. We also need free trade agreements like
CAFTA, which we passed just before the July 4th recess. This will give
economic hope to the people of Central America. It will give them
greater opportunities to live more prosperous lives in their
communities. But, for now, we must tighten enforcement of our borders.
And that's what this bill does.
First, it dramatically increases the corps of border protection
professionals. Congress has already added 500 border patrol agents this
year. This bill adds 2,000 more patrol agents, investigators, and
detention and deportation officers. After this bill, there will be
nearly 41,000 people protecting our border. Our long-term goal should
be 10,000 new border patrol agents within the next 5 years.
Second, this bill gives our border patrol more technology and
training and aircraft. This will bolster security by, for example,
doubling the number of ports subject to high-risk container checks.
Third, this bill strengthens the infrastructure that protects our
borders. It provides more than $300 billion for frontline defenses--
which will help prevent people from entering our country illegally.
Fourth, this bill increases funding for detention beds by 10
percent--boosting the total number of beds to 23,000. It does no good
to increase our border patrol forces and border monitoring technology
if we don't have the space to hold illegal aliens while their cases are
being processed.
Simply put, we should not release individuals with criminal ties.
Instead, our nation should detain them until their cases can be heard.
Over 400,000 individuals--nearly as many as live in Atlanta--have
simply walked away from orders of deportation and removal. This is
unacceptable.
By adding detention space, we can make sure that people entering the
country illegally are not released back into the country while we are
in the process of trying to send them back home. In all, this bill
increases total spending on border security by nearly 12 percent for a
total of nearly $10 billion.
I congratulate Chairman Gregg and Senator Byrd for their leadership
in bringing this bill to the floor.
Immigrants have enhanced our history. And they will enhance our
future. But we must make sure they to America legally. It's a matter of
security in a time of war. It's also a matter of morality for a caring
nation and a nation of laws.
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