[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 168 (Thursday, December 22, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2642]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 BORDER PROTECTION, ANTITERRORISM, AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CONTROL ACT 
                                OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2005

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4437) to 
     amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to strengthen 
     enforcement of the immigration laws, to enforce border 
     security, and for other purposes:
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to 
H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal 
Immigration Control Act of 2005.
  The bill before us today is an unprecedented assault on both 
documented and undocumented immigrants. It creates policies that are 
burdensome and that threaten those legitimately seeking asylum.
  It also creates new burdens on business. For example, the bill 
requires all employers to verify within two years that all of their new 
hires are in the U.S. legally. Those employers would have to verify the 
immigration status of all employees within six years. Not only is it 
extremely discriminatory to question the legal status of every new 
employee, this verification system also places an extremely 
unreasonable burden on the private sector--both large and small 
businesses. Instead of creating a new level of bureaucracy for our 
business owners to have to follow, we just should enforce the laws that 
we already have in place.
  The bill also expands mandatory detention of immigrants, including 
women and children who come to the United States seeking asylum. Some 
of these people have been subject to crimes inconceivable to most 
Americans, and could be subject to even more egregious violations 
should they be denied asylum. We should not pass legislation that 
prevents refugees and others seeking persecution from finding safety in 
our country.
  The bill also includes a provision requiring the construction of 
security fencing along portions of our southern border that have high 
rates of illegal border crossing, with one of these sections being in 
my home state of New Mexico. This provision alone creates a false sense 
of security. Building this fence will not stop the flow of undocumented 
immigrants into this country--it will only force them to take another 
route. Additionally, we are not in a position to know what the 
environmental impact would be on a project of this size. It could 
severely affect those millions of acres of land surrounding the border, 
as well as the wildlife living upon it.
  This bill misses the mark completely, by its arbitrary and burdensome 
provisions. We all agree that we need to reform our immigration system. 
However, Congress missed an opportunity to pass comprehensive 
immigration reform.

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