[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 111 (Wednesday, July 16, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H6300-H6301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         AMERICA'S DEBT IMPACTS ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILDREN SOLUTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, America's deficits have averaged 
a trillion dollars a year for 5 years. America's total debt has blown 
through the $17 trillion mark, and our Comptroller General warns 
America that our financial path is unsustainable.
  Last year, America's debt service cost roughly $250 billion--which is 
five Federal transportation or 14 NASA programs we can't afford because 
we have to pay debt service.
  If not fixed, what do these deficits and debt mean?
  On a micro level, America must learn from Detroit and Stockton, where 
bankruptcy courts battle over pension plan funding. On a macro level, 
we must learn from Greece and Spain, where unemployment is 26 and 28 
percent worse than America at any time during the Great Depression. We 
must learn from Argentina and Venezuela, where inflation rates were 28 
percent and 56 percent in one year, in 2012.
  Closer to home, we must learn from Puerto Rico, the home for 3.5 
million Americans. In February, Puerto Rico's sovereign debt was 
downgraded to junk bond status, thereby damaging Puerto Rico's economy 
for years, if not decades, to come.
  This brings me to the taxpayer cost of today's massive flood of 
illegal alien children surging across America.
  According to Customs and Border Protection data, in fiscal year 2012, 
24,000 illegal alien children surged across our border. That surge 
increased by 59 percent, to 39,000 illegal alien children in FY 2013. 
That surge increased by another 58,000 illegal alien children so far 
this fiscal year, with an estimated total of 90,000 crossing our 
borders for all of fiscal year 2014--a startling 132 percent increase.
  How should America fix this problem?
  First, the Obama administration must stop enticing illegal alien 
children to America with promises of amnesty and money. America cannot 
give

[[Page H6301]]

free food, free clothing, free shelter, free health care, free 
transportation, free entertainment, and billions of dollars a year in 
fraudulent tax refunds to illegal aliens and then wonder why we have an 
illegal alien crisis.
  Second, illegal alien children from Central America and Mexico must 
be treated equally--prompt returns to parents and homes without costly 
and time-consuming deportation hearings. All contrary laws must be 
repealed or amended.
  Third, America must immediately fly illegal alien children home by 
the least expensive means possible. It costs as little as $258 at 
cheapflightnow.com to fly from Houston to Managua, Nicaragua. United 
Airlines flies from San Antonio to Guatemala City for as little as $363 
and to San Salvador, El Salvador, for as little as $292.
  At roughly $300 a pop, it costs less than $20 million to fly 60,000 
illegal alien children home. That is everyone so far this fiscal year. 
If America used C-5 military aircraft and counted flight time as pilot 
training time, the cost is even less.
  Given America's perilous financial condition, the illegal alien 
children surge issue must be considered in the context of America's 
debt threat that risks a debilitating American insolvency and 
bankruptcy.
  President Obama demands $3.7 billion to spend in just the next few 
months on a policy that does not solve the illegal alien children 
problem. Think about that. The President proposes spending $3.7 billion 
to not solve the problem. Yet spending $20 million wisely does solve 
the problem.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a no-brainer. It is financially irresponsible--
no, financial insanity--to spend $3.7 billion America does not have, 
must borrow to get, and cannot afford to pay back when we can spend $20 
million and get better results and better border security.

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