[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 83 (Friday, June 23, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S6459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SANTORUM (for himself, Mr. Talent, and Mr. Isakson):
  S. 3564. A bill to provide for comprehensive border security and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that I 
believe offers us an opportunity to move forward in the immigration 
debate. My bill takes a first-things-first approach. It is imperative 
that we secure our borders now. This first step cannot--and should not 
have to--wait for a ``comprehensive'' solution. Once we secure our 
borders, we can look at all of the other illegal immigration related 
issues that remain. There is a bipartisan consensus on what needs to be 
done on border security and the provisions that make up this consensus 
were included with other more controversial elements in S. 2611--the 
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006. While the other body is 
holding hearings on the ``comprehensive'' part of that bill, we should 
not hold our border security hostage.
  My bill will significantly increase the assets available for 
controlling our borders. It provides more inspectors, more marshals, 
and more border patrol agents on both the northern and southern 
borders. It provides new aerial vehicles and virtual fencing--camera, 
sensors, satellite and radar coverage, et cetera. It increases our 
surveillance assets and their deployment, and provides for new 
checkpoints and ports of entry. It includes Senator Sessions' amendment 
for greater fencing along our southern border, including 370 miles of 
triple-layered fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers. It also 
provides for the acquisition of more helicopters, powerboats, motor 
vehicles, portable computers, radio communications, hand-held global 
positioning devices, night vision equipment, body armor, weapons, and 
detention space.
  While we know these resources will be critical improvements, it does 
not just throw resources at the problem. My bill requires a 
comprehensive national strategy for border security, surveillance, 
ports of entry, information exchange between agencies, increasing the 
capacity to train border patrol agents and combating human smuggling. 
It enhances initiatives on biometric data, secure communications for 
border patrol agents, and document fraud detection. It includes Senator 
Ensign's amendment to temporarily deploy the National Guard to support 
the border patrol in securing our southern land border. Additionally, 
it increases punishment for the construction of border tunnels or 
passages.
  When our borders are not secure, it is our cities and counties are on 
the frontlines, particularly those closest to the borders. 
Unfortunately, the negative impacts of illegal immigration are not 
limited to our border towns. Recently I worked with communities in 
Southeastern Pennsylvania--Allentown, Easton, Bethlehem, Reading and 
Lancaster--as well as the U.S. Attomey for the Eastern District of 
Pennsylvania, Pat Meehan, to get one of the six recent Anti-Gang 
Initiative grants given by the Department of Justice. This area, called 
the Route 222 Corridor, was the only nonmetropolitan area to receive 
one of the $2.5 million grants to combat growing criminal activity in 
part because of illegal immigrants. However, I raise this issue here 
because U.S. Attorney Meehan's letter explains this issue very 
succinctly. He stated ``[e]ach city is seeing extensive Latino 
relocation to its poorer neighborhoods and housing projects. Once 
largely Puerto Rican, the minority populations are increasingly from 
Central America. Simultaneously, Mexican workers migrate to the 
agricultural areas around Lancaster, creating a southern link to 
criminal networks. The urban core is therefore transient, poor, non-
English speaking and often undocumented . . . In this fertile 
environment, the Latin Kings, Bloods, NETA and lately MS-13, are 
recruiting or fighting with local gangs for control of the drug 
markets. Violence is a daily byproduct.''
  My bill provides relief for cities, counties and States dealing with 
increased costs because of illegal immigration--specifically those 
caused by the criminal acts of illegal immigrants. There are four 
programs included in my bill to address these issues. First, there are 
grants to law enforcement agencies within 100 miles of the Canadian or 
Mexican borders or such agencies where there is a lack of security and 
a rise in criminal activity because of the lack of border security, 
including a preference for communities with less than 50,000 people. 
Second, local governments can be reimbursed for costs associated with 
processing criminal illegal aliens such as indigent defense, criminal 
prosecution, translators and court costs. Third, State and local law 
enforcement agencies can be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the 
detention and transportation of an illegal alien to Federal custody. 
Finally, reimbursements are available for costs incurred in prosecuting 
criminal cases that were federally-initiated but where the Federal 
entity declined to prosecute. In addition, my bill requires the 
Secretary of Homeland Security to provide sufficient transportation and 
officers to take illegal aliens apprehended by State and local law 
enforcement officers into custody for processing at a detention 
facility operated by the Department, and that the Secretary designate 
at least one Federal, State, or local facility in each State as the 
central facility to transfer custody to the Department of Homeland 
Security.
  This bill also expedites the removal of criminal aliens from 
correctional facilities and expands border security programs through 
the Department of Commerce such as the Carrier Initiative, the Americas 
Counter Smuggling Initiative, the Container Security Initiative, and 
the Free and Secure Trade Initiative.
  Throughout the debate on immigration reform, I have consistently 
stated that the first thing we must do is secure our Nation's borders. 
While the House and Senate are working to come to an agreement on the 
broader issues in the immigration bill, I am pleased to be introducing 
the Border Security First Act today with my colleague from Georgia, 
Senator Isakson, and my colleague from Missouri, Senator Talent, 
because our borders must be secured now--not later. In the post 9/11 
world we live in, our national security depends on our border security. 
We need to know who is coming into our country, where they are from, 
and what they are doing here. We must put first things first--we must 
secure our Nation's borders. I hope that my Senate colleagues will join 
me in recognizing the urgency of addressing this issue without delay.




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