[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 2, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5505-S5507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INHOFE:
  S. 1269. A bill to improve border security in the United States and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I once again today introduced S. 1269, the 
ENFORCE Act, because this body has failed to move forward with sound 
immigration legislation. My bill is a strong step in the right 
direction to help solve our growing problem of illegal immigration.
  I did this already. I did this last year. We had a chance to talk 
about it, but we never were able to get this up to a vote. I do want to 
keep this subject moving because people are not talking about this 
anymore. This bill focuses on securing our borders and empowering our 
citizens and law enforcement officers to fight the all-time high flood 
of illegal immigrants. There are around a million illegal aliens 
infiltrating our borders each year. It also addresses some of the 
lesser known but equally destructive exploitations of our Nation by 
some of these illegal immigrants.
  I wish to be clear, for some reason--I am not sure why--- I have been 
honored over the years to speak at nationalization ceremonies. It is 
one of the emotional things a person can go through. When you see 
people coming into this country and doing it the way

[[Page S5506]]

they are supposed to, they learn the history. Those who have gone 
through the legal process know more about the history of America than 
the average person you run into on the street. I am very strongly in 
favor of legal immigration.
  In 1997, the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform stated that 
``measured, legal immigration has led to create one of the world's 
greatest multiethnic nations.'' I agree with that statement. I also 
agree with their statement that when immigrants become 
``Americanized,'' they help cultivate a shared commitment to ``liberty, 
democracy, and equal opportunity'' in our Nation. That is legal 
immigration. I agree with that.
  However, I am quoting now from Roy Beck, executive director of 
Numbers USA. He stated:

       A presence of 8 to 11 million illegal aliens--

  I think the figure is now approximately 12 million--
       in this country is a sign that this country has lost 
     control of its borders and the ability to determine who is a 
     member of this national community. And a country that has 
     lost that ability increasingly loses its ability to determine 
     the rules of its society--environmental protections, labor 
     protection, health protections, safety protections.

  Further quoting:

       In fact, a country that cannot keep illegal immigration to 
     a low level quickly ceases to be a real country, or a real 
     community. Rather than being self-governed, such a country 
     begins to have its destiny largely determined by citizens of 
     other countries who manage to move in illegally.

  With that being said, I cannot and I will not stand idly by and watch 
our great Nation collapse under the pressures of uncontrolled illegal 
immigration. This is a crisis, one that must be addressed aggressively. 
While I would not belabor the point, I will chronicle some of illegal 
immigration's specific threats to our Nation's vitality and how this 
bill will address them.
  First and foremost, the issue of border security must be addressed. 
My bill would help ramp up border security by providing a way for 
civilians and retired law enforcement officers to assist the Border 
Patrol in stopping illegal border crossings. Keep in mind, if you are a 
retired Federal law enforcement officer, they have a mandatory 
retirement age of 57. There are many of these who would work for 
expenses. What we are advocating is a three-tiered system where you 
have the Border Patrol who are skilled the way they are today but have 
them fortified by this army of retired law enforcement officers and 
then bring in the third tier which are those which we have watched in 
the past that have been very effective in adding to the numbers on the 
border.
  It is already working. It is very similar to the National Border 
Neighborhood Watch. I know in my State of Oklahoma it has been a very 
effective program. It is more eyes to watch and more talent to arrest, 
when necessary. A more obscure issue that also warrants reform is the 
legal status of what has become known as anchor babies.
  To better their odds of remaining in the United States, illegal 
immigrants have taken advantage of a constitutional provision granting 
automatic citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Unfortunately, by 
providing citizenship to these ``anchor babies,'' as they are known, 
our Nation rewards the illegal entry of their parents and facilities 
the further exploitation of our borders and national resources.
  This trend has contributed to the alarming fact that the illegal 
immigrant population is growing faster than the birthrate of American 
citizens. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, based on 
numbers from the National Center of Health Statistics, in 2002, there 
were about 8.4 million illegal aliens, which represented about 3.3 
percent of the total U.S. population. That same year, there were about 
383,000 babies born to illegal aliens, which represents about 9.5 
percent of all U.S. births in 2002.
  This problem continues to grow exponentially and serves as a strong 
incentive for more aliens to illegally cross into our country in hopes 
of shortcutting citizenship requirements. Language included in the 
ENFORCE Act will put an end to this much exploited practice.
  Another ``supposed'' obligation we face is the education of illegal 
aliens. Some States, such as my State of Oklahoma, allow the illegal 
aliens the advantage of receiving in-State tuition at our State 
colleges and universities. I believe it is inexcusable to give away 
State-subsidized educations to those who do not pay taxes. This act 
will address this problem by making it unlawful for illegal aliens to 
receive this particular handout.
  The ENFORCE Act includes several provisions to halt illegal 
immigrants' continued exploitation of our tax laws and our Social 
Security benefits. One of the greatest problems in this area is illegal 
immigrants' abuse of the individual tax identification number. That is 
the ITIN program.
  Currently, it so closely resembles the Social Security number that 
many illegal immigrants are able to use it in place of a Social 
Security card to bypass our tax laws or receive wrongly awarded 
benefits. The ENFORCE Act will require a change in the physical 
appearance of this particular document so its identity can no longer be 
mistaken for that of a Social Security number, and it will also 
prohibit that document from being used for identification purposes.
  Additionally, my bill will require Social Security numbers to expire 
as soon as a person's permission to be in the United States expires. So 
it would expire at the same time that permission expires.
  It will prohibit illegal immigrants who gain legal status from 
collecting Social Security benefits for the time they worked illegally 
in the country.
  Finally, the legality of day-labor centers is a topic that must be 
addressed by any comprehensive immigration reform package. These day-
labor centers exist within illegal immigration-friendly ``sanctuary 
sites'' and not just in San Francisco. Day-labor centers are State-
designated and funded sites where illegal aliens congregate and wait 
for employers to pick them up for a day of illegal work.
  One such site was approved in 2005 in Fairfax County, VA, to be paid 
for by taxpayer dollars. Sanctuary cities such as these enable and 
encourage unlawful activity by both illegal aliens and the employers 
who hire them. The ENFORCE Act will outlaw the creation of those 
particular centers.
  Illegal immigrants continue to cause a myriad of problems for our 
country and for law-abiding citizens such as you and me. Illegal 
immigrants not only drain our economy through their exploitation of 
public services and resources, but we must not forget the national 
security threat posed by would-be terrorists who have entered our 
country illegally or remain here unlawfully by overstaying their visas.
  The Center for Immigration Study says:

       Even though illegal aliens make little use of welfare, from 
     which they are generally barred, the costs of illegal 
     immigration in terms of government expenditures for 
     education, criminal justice, and emergency medical care are 
     significant. Illegal immigration is straining our economy, 
     jeopardizing our security, and burdening our education and 
     health care systems.

  So this ENFORCE Act will provide solid tools to eliminate illegal 
immigration and strongly enforce the existing U.S. immigration laws. 
The seriousness of this crisis warrants that Americans of all political 
stripes come together to address this problem.
  One thing that is not included in this legislation that I think 
should be included in any kind of reform--and some of my colleagues can 
remember I had on the floor of the Senate the legislation making 
English the official language of the United States--and it is 
interesting that some 88 percent of the American people want this, and 
some 70 percent of the Hispanic population want this also. It is also 
interesting that there are 50 countries around the world that have 
English as their official language, including Ghana in West Africa and 
some other countries, and yet we do not have it for ourselves. But that 
is going to be handled separately at a different time.
  History shows us that declaring ``immigration bankruptcy'' does not 
work. We saw that in the amnesty of 1986. Simply granting citizenship 
to immigrants who are currently in our country illegally is not the 
answer. We have to enhance our border security, hold those accountable 
who encourage illegal immigration, and ensure that those who violate 
our laws by entering our country illegally do not remain here and are 
not easily welcomed back.

[[Page S5507]]

  So I am introducing that legislation, and I am going to be bringing 
it up at the appropriate time.
                                 ______