[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE FUEL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 2008

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                         HON. HARRY E. MITCHELL

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Mr. MITCHELL. Madam Speaker, Today I, along with Representatives 
Chris Shays and Heath Shuler, introduced H.R. 6687, the Fuel 
Immigration Enforcement Act of 2008.
  This bill would help ensure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
(``ICE'') has the resources it needs to enforce our nation's 
immigration laws in the face of the rising cost of fuel.
  Last year, ICE budgeted $20 million for fuel expenses, but the rising 
price of gas forced them to spend more than $40 million.
  Even more alarming, it appears the $20 million fuel budget was based 
on an assumption by the Department of Homeland Security that the price 
of gas was approximately $1.62 per gallon.
  The Fuel Immigration Enforcement Act would require the Department of 
Homeland security to begin using realistic estimates for ICE's fuel 
expenses. Specifically, it would require the Department to calculate, 
on an annual basis, the cost of fuel expenses for all vehicles owned or 
operated by ICE according to gasoline prices reported by the U.S. 
Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration Gasoline and 
Diesel Fuel Update, and then report those calculations to Congress.
  ICE is tasked with enforcing our nation's immigration laws, and is 
absolutely critical to the Phoenix metropolitan area as well as other 
metropolitan areas in the southwest where criminal aliens set up drop 
houses as way stations for drug, weapon and human smuggling operations. 
The Phoenix metro area in particular is estimated to have as many as 
1000 such drop houses.
  The House Appropriations Committee recently said, in no uncertain 
terms, that, ``ICE should have no greater immigration enforcement 
priority than to remove violent, deportable criminal aliens from the 
United States.'' I couldn't agree more.
  We need to ensure that ICE has the resources it needs to crack down 
on drop houses and other criminal alien enterprises. When ICE is unable 
to meet its responsibilities, it falls to local law enforcement to fill 
the gap. Our local law enforcement is already stretched thin, and I 
fear the burden will be even greater if ICE is forced to scale back its 
efforts due to an increase in the price of gas.
  If we are serious about enforcing our nation's immigrations laws, we 
need to provide the resources necessary to get the job done. The Fuel 
Immigration Enforcement Act will help ensure that ICE has what it 
needs, in the face of rising fuel expenses.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

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