[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2742-H2743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HOMELAND SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about 
the issues of homeland security and ask my colleagues to reflect upon 
the legislation, historic legislation that we have just passed 
regarding the U.S. Coast Guard. We have added enough new Coast Guard to 
raise the number to 47,000 members of the U.S. Coast Guard. That is 
something to applaud.
  We have provided an opportunity for securing our LNG, liquid natural 
gas, in the number of ports around America where surrounding 
communities exist. We have created a format to secure our waterways 
where the U.S. Coast Guard is involved. We have provided for an 
enhanced expedited process for securing what we call TWIC cards. These 
are documentation for port workers to have after September 25, 2008.
  Today I rise to offer a resolution that will acknowledge the 
Transportation Security Administration addressing the question of 
security as relates to our transportation security that would mandate 
the implementation of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 
2007 that enhances security against terrorist attack and other security 
threats to our Nation's rail and mass transit.
  I am doing this along with a number of Members, including Chairman 
Bennie Thompson of the full committee. It is important to note that 
transportation systems are systems that have been under attack, 
particularly mass transit, and I believe it is important to encourage 
TSA to continue to developed the National Explosive Detection Canine 
Team Program which is supported in a bipartisan manner, one that I have 
seen work and has been very effective to improve the success of the 
Online Learning Center by providing increased person-to-person 
professional development programs to ensure those responsible for 
securing against terrorist attacks on our transportation systems are 
highly trained and to continue to serve our Nation's mass transit and 
rail systems against terrorist attack and other security threats so as 
to ensure the safety of our commuters on our Nation's mass transit.
  This is a resolution to encourage the TSA to improve their work 
product, to thank them for the work product that they are doing, but 
also to encourage them to work diligently in compliance with the new 
legislation that we just passed.
  I also want to speak to the phenomenon that is being used across 
America called ICE raids. I am very well aware that the Secretary of 
Homeland Security believes that he has been forced to use a new tactic 
in immigration reform because this Congress has not been able to shed 
itself of obstacles of bias and disagreement, to get into a room and 
truly provide for comprehensive reform of the immigration system, 
something I have worked on for 6 years.
  I appreciate the leadership from both sides of the aisle with their 
different perspectives. I am delighted to serve on the Judiciary 
Committee with John Conyers and Zoe Lofgren, who have been champions of 
this reform process, along with Bennie Thompson and Loretta Sanchez on 
Homeland Security.
  But we cannot stand by and allow our immigration system to be formed 
by massive raids on individuals who are here only to work. My fear is 
that a potential violent act may occur out of fear and apprehension. So 
I believe it is important for the administration, the White House, to 
stand up and be counted, to go to the bully pulpit and insist on a 
comprehensive response to immigration, not the raiding of Shipley's Do-
Nuts, so that people in an apartment building are jumping out of 
apartment building windows out of fear. You are not going to deport 12 
million people. Get a life. It is important to know who everyone is, 
and I want to make sure that we do so.
  I want it to be known that I stand against random ICE raids. I am not 
against immigration reform in a right way. I am not for illegal 
immigration. But I will tell you it will not work. It will be deadly 
and it will be devastating. It is important for employers to hire 
documented workers and be under the eye of the law, and we should 
enforce this idea of making sure people are documented.

                              {time}  1615

  But it's up to the government to get a system that works so that we 
can

[[Page H2743]]

give documentation to individuals who are here simply to work, and we 
can weed out the terrorists.
  People who are working at Shipley's Do-Nuts, people who are in hotels 
and restaurants, who are not taking American jobs, are doing the work 
that this Nation needs.
  We need to hire Americans first. But we cannot, by a raid, end the 
immigration crisis. We need to fix it, and we need to fix it now.

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