[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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