Congressional Record, Volume 152 Issue 88 (Monday, July 10, 2006)

[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 88 (Monday, July 10, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4936-H4941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

BORDER SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 4, 2005, the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that and this evening we
are going to spend some time talking about the issue of border
security, and it is important to our great Nation; but before I begin,
I would like to take just a few moments of personal privilege and
remember a friend that my community lost over the weekend.

Remembering SunTrust's Brian Williams

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, our community of Nashville, Tennessee,
and the Nashville banking industry lost an entrepreneurial banker,
Brian Williams, who was the Music Row banker for SunTrust Bank, and he
was such an extraordinary, truly extraordinary, man. Certainly, we feel
that we have lost a visionary in not only the banking industry but in
the music business industry.
Brian is one of those who really understood that the entertainment
industry and the music industry is a business, and he approached it
that way and he pioneered the music industry's banking division for
SunTrust Bank.
He is a man who I honestly believe in all my years of working on the
intellectual property issue, whether as head of the Tennessee Film
Entertainment Music Commission or as a member of the State Senate or
now as a Member of Congress, he understood the ability of intellectual
property to generate an income. He understood that intellectual
property is private property, and he understood how royalty income
could indeed work for our creative community.
He is truly going to be deeply, deeply missed and to his wife,
Marion, and his parents, our thoughts are with you all.
Now, to our issue of immigration. Mr. Speaker, the question that we
have before us is one that we are looking at as an issue of border
security, and I feel that many times this issue becomes clouded as we
try to talk about so many different components of border security and
immigration and illegal entry into the country and employer
verification. Sometimes looking at the great big pie, the great big pie
of the border security/immigration issue, all rolled into one, becomes
very, very difficult for many of us.
We have started through a process of beginning to break it apart and
take things one at a time and focus intently on this issue; and,
indeed, it is an issue that we have had before us. As a former Member
of the Judiciary Committee and the Immigration Subcommittee there, we
have kept our focus on how do we make certain that we keep this Nation
secure, how do we make certain that border security is addressed as
national security, and how do we keep America safe, how do we make
certain that we know who is coming in this country, how do we make
certain that we know why they are coming and how do we make certain
that we know the people who have come here have come for the right
reasons, have come with the proper paperwork and do not overstay those
visas and that paperwork.
This is a question to look at. It is a discussion to engage in and it
is an issue that I would hope every Member of this body, from both
sides of the aisle, would participate in discussing and finding a
solution.
Of course, the House has passed a bill. We passed it last year. We
sent it to the Senate. It has first and foremost a focus on securing
this border. We know that this is a problem that the American people
are frustrated with. They are frustrated with D.C. and I understand
why. We are, too. Some of these issues you can absolutely talk to
death. The American people are ready for action, and indeed, the House
is the body that has been leading on that action.
As we have watched illegal entry, the act of illegal entry, and that
is our focus, as I said earlier, it is not immigration, our focus is on
illegal entry, and addressing the act that is being committed as
individuals, as weapons, as drugs all come into this country illegally,
this is an enormous problem. It is not a secret. The American people
know this, and that is why they have joined with the House in saying
this needs to be handled.
Mr. Speaker, lack of action on this issue over the past few years and
lack of responsiveness by some who want to confuse it by making it a
big comprehensive, difficult-to-get-your-arms-around issue has caused a
couple of things to happen, but that is the way it is many times, in
life, in politics, and certainly in this issue of security.
The fact that action was not taken when the House first got ready to
move forward and that we have seen thousands and hundreds of thousands
of people illegally enter this country has caused every town to be a
border town and every State to be a border State.
When I was in the State senate in Tennessee, I started working on
this issue, trying to make certain that those that illegally entered
this country could not secure valid driver's licenses and then have
carried that activity with me, coming here to Congress and again
continuing to focus on this issue.
As I said, every State is a border State, and we are hearing from
States like my State of Tennessee and other States around the country.
Border security is the number one issue. We have seen enormous
populations of people who are not legally in the States gravitate to
certain States for specific reasons, and Americans know that

[[Page H4937]]

there ought to be laws that are enforced. They know that there are laws
on the books, and they cannot figure out why in the world, why in the
world those laws are not being enforced, why are we choosing not to
enforce those laws and defend those borders.
Our constituents are right to ask those questions. We need to tackle
the illegal entry problem. We need to do this one step at a time. We
need to demonstrate in good faith to the American people that
efficient, effective border security can be accomplished and we are
ready to move forward on it. We encourage the other body and we
encourage the American people to join with us on this issue and
addressing this issue.
At this time, I would like to yield to my colleague from Texas (Mr.
Hensarling) for some of his thoughts and comments on this issue.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding,
and I certainly appreciate her leadership of what I believe is perhaps
the number one issue that is facing us today, and that is clearly
winning this war against terrorism. There is no doubt in my mind, and I
believe no doubt in the minds of most Americans, that border security
is homeland security.
Mr. Speaker, we ignore our borders at our own peril. Too often even
today we do not know who is coming across our borders, we do not know
what their purpose is, we do not know where they are going. And times
have changed; times have changed since 9/11.
There was a time in our Nation's history where the illegal entry
problem was one of a trickle. Today, it is a flood. There were over 1.2
million apprehensions of those who entered our country illegally last
year, and those were just the ones that were apprehended. Again, we do
not know who all these people are. We do not know what their purpose
is. We ignore border security at our own peril.
I live in Texas, Mr. Speaker, one of the border States. Mexico is a
very important neighbor to us. We have had excellent relations with the
country for many, many years; and there is no doubt that a number of
those who enter our country illegally are simply people who are trying
to feed their families; and I understand that, Mr. Speaker.

{time} 2000

I have compassion for these people, but at the same time we must
protect Americans. We must know who is coming across the border. And
what we see, particularly when we talk to people on the front lines of
this war, particularly our border sheriffs, we learn that the border is
a very different place than it was 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years
ago.
Increasingly what we see is a very armed and dangerous group of those
who enter this country illegally. Increasingly we are seeing AK-47s,
rocket-propelled grenades associated with those in the drug traffic.
And increasingly our border sheriffs are concerned about what contact
and what connection the drug lords may have with the terrorists.
We hear from our Border Patrol that attacks on agents are up. We have
our border sheriffs in Texas tell us that they believe, they believe
that some of the drug shipments across the border have come with
military escorts. Increasingly we know that we are being infiltrated by
the MS-13 gangs from Central America.
Again, Mr. Speaker, we ignore border security at our own peril. And
perhaps most importantly, I am not sure if all of the American people
know this, but Iraqis have been captured trying to infiltrate our
southern border. And we know, we know from the Department of Homeland
Security, that al-Qaeda has made contact with human smugglers in
Mexico.
We ignore border security at our own peril. But besides being a
threat to our homeland security, unbridled illegal entry into the U.S.
is not just a threat to our border security, it is a threat to our
economic security as well. Coming from Texas, Mr. Speaker, I can tell
you that the taxpayers of Texas pay billions of dollars to educate the
children of those who have entered illegally. That is just not fair,
Mr. Speaker, it is just not fair.
Hundreds of millions have been spent on health care. Now, again we do
not want to deny essential emergency health care to anybody who walks
into the room. But to have this serve as some kind of magnet for
illegal entry is just wrong, and the cost associated with
incarceration, again unchecked illegal entry into this country is a
threat to our border security, it is a threat to our economic security.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker, it is a threat to the rule of law, one of
the foundations upon which this great Nation was built, a nation of
laws, not of men. Is the first lesson we want to teach somebody who
comes to this country that our laws are optional, that they are mere
suggestions? Do we want to tell people that, well, because you managed
to sneak across some border, you fooled us; here are your citizenship
papers? I do not think so, Mr. Speaker. I do not believe that that is
what we need.
Now, Mr. Speaker, as important as this debate is, I agree with the
gentlewoman from Tennessee that unfortunately, unfortunately, there are
many in this country, there are many, many in this body that are trying
to take a debate that should be about whether America has the will and
the means to control its border and whether there is a right way and a
wrong way to enter America, they are trying to twist that, they are
trying to twist this into some kind of debate about ethnicity. They are
trying to twist this into a debate about whether America is a nation of
immigrants.
I do not see anybody debating that proposition, Mr. Speaker. America
is a nation of immigrants. It always has been; I believe it always will
be. We would like to shine up the Statute of Liberty. We want to find
room for people who want to work hard and who love freedom. But there
is a right way and a wrong way to come to America.
My friends and my neighbors come to the front door in the light of
day and they knock on the door and they seek permission to come into my
home. They do not sneak in the back door under the cover of night.
There is a right way and a wrong way to come to America.
Now, Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest privileges and honors I have
had as a Member of Congress took place Saturday before last in Garland,
Texas, in my congressional district. I spoke to a swearing-in ceremony
of 95 new Americans. And it was one of the most awe-inspiring
experiences I have had as a Member of Congress. And let me tell you a
few things about these 95 new Americans I was able to welcome as new
Americans into Garland, Texas.
Number one, each and every one of them, Mr. Speaker, waited in line,
3 years, 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, to come and achieve that great
privilege of American citizenship. They followed the rules. They
learned the English language, which is the language of opportunity and
something that binds us together as a people.
Mr. Speaker, besides that, they learned our history; they learned our
culture. I would wager that a number of them could do better on an
American history test than some of us, some of us in this august body
here.
And finally, Mr. Speaker, I do not know why, but as a Member of
Congress, sometimes people actually want to have their picture taken
with you. I am flattered and humbled that so many of these 95 new
Americans wanted to have their photo taken with me.
I met a young lady who was born in Laos, who is now an American. And
I asked her, ``What is it that made you want to come to America?''
after she had her photo taken with me.
It was a one-word answer, Mr. Speaker. We all know what that answer
is. Freedom. Freedom. These were 95 new Americans who wanted to roll up
their sleeves, they wanted to work hard, and they loved freedom. And we
welcome them. We welcome them into our midst.
And so, again, Mr. Speaker, we are not having a debate about who it
is that makes the best Americans. We are not having a debate about
taking down the Statute of Liberty as many would want you to believe.
We are having a debate about, after 9/11, can we ignore our borders?
And we are having a debate about whether or not there is a right way
and a wrong way to come to America. That is what this debate is about,
Mr. Speaker.
It is one of the most important debates that is going to take place
in this body, in this institution this year. And

[[Page H4938]]

so much is riding on it. Because I believe, as do so many of my
constituents, that the number one threat to our Nation, and the number
one threat to our families is terrorism. And essential to winning the
war on terror is controlling our borders.
And, with that, I will yield back to the gentlewoman.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman. He is so correct. An essential
element in winning the war on terror is controlling our borders.
And one of the things that we heard this weekend, this past week, on
Tuesday as we took our first field hearing to San Diego, was, we heard
how the Iraqis have been reaching into Central America and into Mexico,
and how al-Qaeda is reaching in there and doing what is necessary for
them to make these connections to be able to enter through this
southern border.
What a frightening thought that is to us. How very difficult it
should be for them. But, unfortunately, it seems they are saying how
very easy it can be. Mr. Speaker, think of that. Al-Qaeda and those
that would seek to do us harm are choosing to see if they can come
across our southern border, one more good reason why we should be
certain that we secure that border.
The gentleman from Texas also said something else I want to return
to. We ignore this at our own peril. And we hear that repeatedly. We
would ignore this at our own peril.
And I mentioned the hearing that we held in San Diego. Chairman Royce
did a terrific job chairing this hearing for the International
Relations Committee, focused on terrorism and border security. And I
commend our leadership, our Speaker and our leader for making certain
that we, as a body, have the opportunity to go and listen and talk with
the American people on this issue.
And as we were at Imperial Beach outside of San Diego on that border,
we heard from sheriffs, we heard from border agents, and we heard from
those who have studied this issue closely, very closely over the past
several years, just not weeks, not just months, but several years.
And each and every one of them talked about the importance that is
upon us for examining and moving forward with action in securing this
border. And the gentleman from Texas is right. We ignore this at our
own peril.
He also mentioned with the State of Texas, the billions that are
spent on education, the hundreds of millions that are spent on health
care for those that have illegally entered this country. He also
mentioned incarceration and the hundreds of millions of dollars that
are spent in his State of Texas on incarceration.
I asked the sheriff from Los Angeles County during the hearing in San
Diego what they spent every year on incarceration, because 26 percent
of their jail population are criminal aliens; 70 percent of those are
repeat offenders. They are spending about $80 million a year, $80
million of taxpayer dollars each year in Los Angeles County for
incarceration of those who have committed offenses and are being held
and detained as criminal aliens.
Another point that the gentleman talked about was that our laws are
not up for discussion. And one of my constituents over the weekend
said, you know, U.S. citizenship is not a lottery, and it is not. And
this comment came from a gentleman who is a veteran. And he grabbed me
by the arm as we were out celebrating our freedom, celebrating
Independence Day, and looked me straight in the eye. And he said,
``Marsha, I fought for this country. I fought for this freedom. I
fought for everyone to have this citizenship. Let me tell you right
now, it is not a lottery.''
Our laws are not up for discussion, and our citizenship is not a
lottery; and we need to remember that. And I appreciated those comments
from that gentleman.
I had another constituent who said, ``You know, if you illegally
enter my car, my bank account, my private information, my house, my
business, my church, you are going to pay a penalty. You have committed
a crime. Why in the world does that not apply to this great Nation?''
Mr. Speaker, the American people understand that the issue at hand is
border security and illegal entry. Many in this body and certainly our
leadership concur with that. Legal immigrants, as the gentleman from
Texas talked about the naturalization ceremony where he spoke, legal
immigrants know that the laws on the books are for abiding. And they
appreciate that and they honor it.
And we want to be certain that those are kept as the rule of law, and
this Nation remains a sovereign nation. As my friend, Alfredo, said, as
I talked with him over the weekend, he said, ``You need to protect the
American dream. I am here for the American dream.''
He is here legally. He is looking forward to the day when he stands
and raises his hand and takes that oath and becomes a U.S. citizen. And
he too wants to have his very own personal story to tell about how he
achieved the American dream.

{time} 2015

And for Alfredo and his wife and thousands that come here every year
legally to seek that dream, their message to us is: secure the border,
and make legal entry a priority. Put your focus on illegal entry, and
put a stop to that.
You know, the message that we are continuing to get from our
constituents is: stop the bleeding, secure the border, narrow your
focus. And I hear that from State legislators back in my State of
Tennessee. If we don't do that, we leave with them the issue of
addressing the problems that are then passed to the States: driver's
licenses, insurance issues, looking at educational and health care and
law enforcement issues. They feel as if all of that is left for them to
deal with. Our towns and our cities look at us and say: when it comes
to law enforcement, we are the folks on the street. When it comes to
who opens the hospital doors, that is us. When the school bell rings,
we are the ones providing the service. And that is why they look at us
and say: what your lack of action is doing is turning every single town
into a border town and every single State into a border State.
So they want us to get in here and complete our work on securing this
border, to look at the options that are out there. As we heard from
some of our Border Patrol agents, put our focus on intelligence-driven,
threat-based mechanisms. Look at what it takes to integrate electronic
surveillance, human surveillance, and physical barriers. And we heard
from some of the sheriffs that, yes, indeed, physical barriers work,
and they were happy to give us plenty of information about how it had
driven down crime.
The House has passed a bill; and if we need to pass one more, we can
do that. We have to be certain that we demonstrate the results that are
necessary for securing this border.
At this time I would like to yield again to the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding again. And she
used an interesting phrase earlier about securing our borders: stop the
bleeding. It is a phrase I hear over and over and over from my
constituents in the Fifth Congressional District of Texas. And, indeed,
the House has now passed a border security bill that we believe would
go a long way towards stopping the bleeding, and now finally the other
body after many months has now acted.
Mr. Speaker, I know that Americans recall their Civics 101, and they
know that you pass a House bill, you pass a Senate bill, they have to
come together in a conference and come up with just one bill. It gets
passed by both of our respective bodies yet again before it is sent to
the President. Mr. Speaker, we have had an opportunity now to take a
look at that Senate bill; and, frankly, most of us believe that it is
wrong-headed and would head America in a very bad direction.
Number one, Mr. Speaker, we don't understand why, if there are
contentious issues that are out there, and we agree there are many
issues associated with illegal entry that are contentious, but if they
are, can't we all come together, Democrat and Republican, after 9/11
and say we have got to secure our borders? Can't we at least as a body
agree on that and maybe work on some of these more contentious issues
later?
As we know, in the House bill what we do is, number one, we increase
personnel on the border, at least immediately 1,000 additional agents,
1,500 K-9 units. We erect literal walls and virtual walls on much of
our border. We

[[Page H4939]]

increase the sanctions for employers who knowingly hire those who enter
this country illegal.
If you want to help stem the tide, you have got to deal with the
magnets that are drawing people into the Nation illegally.
We end this ridiculous program known as ``catch and release,'' which
at least from my part of Texas catch and release is for fish; it is not
for those who enter the country illegally. But what we have is a system
where particularly those who are known as OTMs, those other than
Mexicans, that are caught coming across the border, they are simply
released until, Oh, why don't you show up, say, in 60 days and come to
a hearing so we can decide whether or not to deport you. Well, we know
how many will not show up for that certain deportation hearing. Our
bill would end that catch and release program.
Our bill does a lot, Mr. Speaker, to stop the bleeding. But if you
look at what the Senate bill does, it takes a different direction.
Number one, it provides amnesty for many of those who entered the
country illegally.
Mr. Speaker, we have been down this road before, about 20 years ago.
It was one of those ideas that might have looked good on the
blackboard, but guess what, it didn't work. It simply did not work. And
now the Senate wants to offer amnesty to those who have been here for 5
years if they will pay some back taxes and some kind of fee. They want
to provide them an opportunity to cut in the line of citizenship when,
as I said earlier, I just welcomed 95 new Americans into this country
who played by the rules, who waited for those 5 and 7 and 10 years to
get here. And we are going to say, No, you played by the rules, we are
going to reward these people over here who didn't. What does that say
about the rule of law, Mr. Speaker? I don't think much.
Additionally, the Senate bill would provide benefits to those who
come here illegally. It would provide Social Security benefits to those
who have come to the country illegally.
Mr. Speaker, I serve on the House Budget Committee, and I have seen
the most recent report of the Medicare and Social Security trustees.
Unfortunately, Social Security is due to go broke at least one year
earlier than last predicted. Now, we know our seniors are okay; but for
future generations like my children, Social Security as we know it
won't be there for them. And, guess what, the Senate wants to start
handing out benefits to those who came here illegally. Additionally,
they want to hand out in-state tuition, in-state college tuition for
those who come to our country illegally. Mr. Speaker, how are you ever
going to stop illegal entry when you are actually strengthening the
magnet that is drawing people here in the first place?
Mrs. BLACKBURN. If the gentleman would yield?
Mr. HENSARLING. I would be happy to yield to the gentlewoman.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I want to participate in this discussion with you
about the difference in these bills. And you are so right when you
mention that our House bill would increase personnel on the border, put
the K-9 units there, look at a virtual fence as well as a physical
barrier, the electronic surveillance, and really tighten up that
border. And one of the things we have said in the House repeatedly is,
let us lay out an orderly process. Let us secure the border first; then
let us move to the employer verifications which you mentioned. But let
us secure that border first. Let us deal with the enforcement
mechanisms.
And I am so delighted that you mentioned catch and release. As I
mentioned earlier, the sheriffs that we had, two from California, one
from Texas that were at our hearing, said catch and release is a huge
problem. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, one county alone, Los
Angeles County, 26 percent of the jail population is criminal aliens.
After I left that hearing and I was through out in my district in
Tennessee and I would talk to sheriffs, I would say, What portion, what
portion of your incarcerated population is those that entered the
country illegally? I have not spoken with anyone who has less than 10
percent. And the recidivism rate, as I mentioned the one sheriff who
was before our committee talked in terms of upwards of 70 percent.

And when I talk to our law enforcement personnel, it is always a high
percentage that is in their jail not once, not twice, but many times.
That criminal alien population, the recidivism rate is very high. And
you are exactly right, that is a cost to our local communities.
One of the concerns that we hear from when people talk about the
Senate bill is they are concerned about wage protections, they are
concerned about favorable treatment, they are concerned about a
favorable way for those that entered the country illegally to pay their
taxes or to access tuition or to receive Social Security benefits. And
they look at us and they say, You know, this is not fair. This is not
right. And there is great concern.
And I think that that is one of the reasons that the American people
return to looking at the House bill and saying, this is what we want to
see: first, secure the border. Second, deal with that magnet. Look at
the employer sanctions, then deal with the enforcement mechanisms. And
then, once you have stabilized the situation, look at the visa
programs, but only after the situation has been stabilized.
I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Again, I recall
that there are at least a couple of other provisions of the legislation
produced by the Senate that should be of interest to all of us as we
look at two really different approaches to meeting the challenge of
border security.
Now, under our legislation, we would actually construct literal walls
on certain portions of the border, which we know will be helpful. It
doesn't solve the problem, but it is at least helpful in a multi-
faceted strategy to deal with illegal entry into the Nation, While in
the Senate bill, in the Senate bill they would require us to consult
with Mexico before we constructed a wall on U.S. territory. Mr.
Speaker, is that not effectively yielding sovereignty to a foreign
nation?
Now, again, I respect Mexico. I have traveled extensively in Mexico.
I have participated in U.S. interparliamentary council with legislators
from south of the border. But to say that we must consult with a
foreign nation before we take steps to secure our own borders and to
secure the homeland? Mr. Speaker, that is just simply ridiculous. It is
just simply ridiculous.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. As we talk about securing this border and the reason
for it, and in the House bill we have stretches where there is a
physical border and a fence that would be very difficult to penetrate,
and there is a reason for that, Mr. Speaker. And the sheriff from
Laredo, Texas, Sheriff Flores, was so articulate on this issue as we
talked about the border there and spoke about the 18-wheelers, 6,000 to
7,000, 18-wheelers a day coming through that exchange point and through
that immigration point.
Now, Mr. Speaker, one of the things that is of concern for us is how
you check the cargo that is in here. And as I mentioned earlier in my
comments: illegal entry, human trafficking, drugs, weapons. As we look
at this 6,000 to 7,000 18-wheelers a day that are on the road, and
couple that with trucks and vehicles that are coming across the
unpatrolled areas and open land, what we have are vehicles that are
driving drugs and meth and arms into this country. We don't know what
all is coming in them. What we do know is that in my State of Tennessee
we have a problem with meth and dirty meth. They know that it is made
many times in Mexico. When they confiscate and interdict, when the
interdiction units bring in marijuana and cocaine and meth, they can
tell where it is coming from by how it is packaged, how it is being
delivered. And we know for a fact that this is a problem.
We have a county in west Tennessee that we worked closely with on
this issue, and just a little under a year ago they put a meth
interdiction unit on the road. Interestingly enough, nearly every time
that unit goes out, nearly every time it goes out it is conducting an
interdiction. And it is sad to see, but when you go in and look at that
evidence room and look at the weapons and the drugs, and hear the
stories of individuals that are being brought in, some of them against
their will, it is not a story that is a happy story. It is a very sad
story.

[[Page H4940]]

{time} 2030

Our constituents are tired of this, and they want the borders secured
so it will decrease that flow, decrease the opportunity for that flow
of human trafficking and drugs and weapons.
I yield to the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the gentlewoman alluded
to our border sheriffs, those on the front lines who are trying to stem
this war against drugs and terrorists, who could infiltrate our
southern border, because they are very knowledgeable about what is
happening on both our southern and northern borders.
We were discussing differences between the House-passed bill which
was supported by almost everyone on the Republican side of the aisle,
versus the Senate bill, the Reid-Kennedy bill which most Republicans
opposed. We talked about how the Reid-Kennedy bill grants amnesty to
those who have broken our laws and how the Reid-Kennedy bill provides
Social Security benefits and in-State college tuition to those who have
entered this country illegally and broken our laws; and we talked about
how the Reid-Kennedy bill will force us to consult with a foreign
nation before we take steps to secure our southern border.
But another aspect of the Reid-Kennedy bill that we did not discuss
is what it does to our local border sheriffs. And under that bill,
under that piece of legislation, local police departments and sheriffs
could not, I repeat, could not, Mr. Speaker, apprehend those who are in
this country illegally unless they were found to be arrested for some
other crime. In other words, merely being in the country illegally, the
Senate bill would strip them of any power to apprehend, arrest and turn
those individuals over for deportation.
Again, it is completely opposite of our House-passed bill that is
trying to empower those on the front lines, to give them more resources
and give them additional training to help and become partners with the
Federal Government, with the Department of Homeland Security, with
Border Patrol in trying to apprehend these people.
We know in many ways the flood of illegal entrants has changed over
the years. Again, I know that many people who come here are not bad
people, and I am not attempting to vilify them. I am the father of two
small children, a 4-year-old and a 2\1/2\-year-old. And I know if I was
born poor in Latin America and I couldn't feed my children, I don't
know what you would do to stop me from crossing this border.
But because I have compassion for somebody does not mean that I want
to hand them a check drawn upon the Federal taxpayer. Because I have
compassion for someone does not mean I want to say, okay, we are going
to let you cut in line and here are your U.S. citizen papers. No, Mr.
Speaker, we have to secure the border.
After 9/11, knowing the intentions of al Qaeda, we have got to secure
our borders, regardless of the fact that many of these people are not
bad people, and we understand what they are trying to do. But we have
got to come up with a system, enough carrots and sticks, to where our
Border Patrol are looking for tens of people trying to cross the border
illegally instead of thousands of people trying to cross the border
illegally every evening. Unless we put the enforcement provisions in
the House bill in place, this simply will not happen.
Again, I know there are contentious issues. There are contentious
issues about children who are U.S. citizens whose parents may be
illegal here. There are suggestions for a guest worker program; and I,
for one, am very open to a guest worker program.
But everybody says, let's stop the bleeding, let's control the
border. Can't we at least agree on that? And let's seal our border to
illegal entry, and then we can start dealing with the other facets of
immigration, the other facets of a guest worker program, which I
believe is part of our solution and not part of our problem. But it is
all for naught unless we secure the border first.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, as you talk about focusing in on that
issue of illegal entry and focusing in on border security and being
certain that we deal with that first, first and foremost, handle this
issue.
I appreciate the comments that you said regarding amnesty and how
opposed to amnesty I personally am and how opposed so many of my
constituents are because they feel that is such a dishonor to those who
are coming here legally.
During my time at home, as we were holding town hall meetings and
visiting with constituents, I have had constituents say, If you start
passing out amnesty, then I want amnesty from the IRS. If you let those
who have illegally entered this country choose to pay 3 years of 5
years of back taxes, I want to pay 3 years out of the past 5 years.
Those are questions that we are getting from our constituents, and they
are right to be asking them.
I had someone say they wanted amnesty from OSHA, a small business
manufacturer, paying taxes and creating jobs and working hard. He said,
They come into my plant, they stand there, they hold a meter; I want
amnesty from that. I want amnesty from the EPA. So we are hearing this
over and over.
Mr. Speaker, what it really speaks to is the breakdown of the rule of
law. Why? Our constituents are so right to ask that question. Why? Why
in the world would a body pass a bill that would do that? Why would
they encourage that? Why would they not honor the rule of law? Why
would they not choose to deal with the crisis situation, which is
illegal entry, and focus on that?
That is the area where everyone agrees: Secure the border and secure
it now. Secure it first. Put additional people on the border. Put
additional resources on the border because border security is national
security and a very important component of our national security.
Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman is so right.
Again, we have Iraqis who have been apprehended trying to infiltrate
our southern border. We know there are contacts between al Qaeda and
human smugglers in Mexico. We know what was once a trickle of illegal
entry is now a flood of illegal entry. What was once mainly low-income,
poor Mexicans is almost a United Nations of illegal entry coming from
all parts of the globe and planet. We ignore border control at our own
peril.

Why, Mr. Speaker, would Senators Reid and Kennedy essentially say we
are not willing to help you secure the border unless you grant amnesty
to millions and millions of those who have come here illegal? And, oh,
by the way, we want to present them with different welfare benefits and
we want to give them Social Security. And, oh, by the way, we are not
going to allow you to secure the United States border unless you go
consult with foreign nations first.
Mr. Speaker, I don't understand this. The American people don't
understand this.
Again, we must know that we are having a national debate about two
and only two issues: Do we have the will to control our borders? And is
there a right way and a wrong way to come to America?
Mr. Speaker, I decry those who are trying to turn this into some kind
of a debate about ethnicity and who makes the best Americans. Some of
the best Americans I know were not born in America. And the reason they
make some of the best Americans is because they have known something
besides freedom and opportunity, and because of that, many times they
treasure our birthright even more than those of us who were born in the
United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, this is not about taking the Statue of Liberty down;
this is about protecting the Statue of Liberty. If we want to open wide
the door of legal immigration, we have to shut down the door to illegal
immigration. When we do, we will help secure our southern border, our
northern border, and we will make the homeland more secure.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman from Texas for joining with us
in this debate this evening and for continuing to talk with our
colleagues and with the American people, because this is about illegal
entry.
The situation of illegal entry and immigration are two completely
different debates. Those who are trying to blend them into one are
doing a disservice. We have to move forward in addressing illegal
entry, and we have to move forward in securing this border.

[[Page H4941]]

Mr. Speaker, America is an incredibly welcoming Nation. It is a
wonderful Nation that for years and centuries, we held our arms wide.
We welcome those that choose to legally enter. We love the energy and
vitality that they bring. We love their excitement. We love the way
they bring an entrepreneurial spirit and they bring diversity and they
bring to each of us a challenge, a very well-placed challenge, to work
harder, to do better.
And we love it when they succeed, and we celebrate it. We take the
time to celebrate that success, every little success, with them. And
when they receive that citizenship after years of hard work, we are
standing there with them, celebrating with them.
Some of them are in our families, some are in our extended families;
and some of our close friends that we love like family have been
through this process. And because of this, we stand with them in
saying, Let's secure the border and end the practice of illegal entry
into this Nation.
Let's be certain that legal entry and legal immigration are
recognized and rewarded and celebrated in the appropriate way, as they
are meant to be. But let's roll up our sleeves and let's get to work
securing the border, ending illegal entry into this country, ending the
human trafficking, ending the flow of drugs, ending the flow of
weapons.
Let's be fair with our law enforcement officials and our Border
Patrol agents that are on the border, who are tasked each and every day
with keeping this border secure and, in turn, with being the first
responders on the issue of border security. And let's be certain that
we continue to put our focus right where it should be in realizing that
border security and national security are one and the same.
As I said, Mr. Speaker, it isn't about immigration, it is about
illegal entry. It is also about the rule of law.
There is a sense from the American people that we have lost control
of these borders, and they are right. There is a sense that if we lose
control of the borders, that then we are going to have more of the war
on terror fought on American soil.
Mr. Speaker, it is issue number one. Securing this border is the most
important issue that faces this body today.
I want to thank the House leadership for being so consistent in
saying that this body will make border security the primary focus of
our work. I want to thank our colleagues who are working on the field
hearings and working to be certain that the message is communicated
with our constituents and with our colleagues here on the Hill, that
this House is ready to see borders secured and national security as our
top priority.

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