[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 25020-25021]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          BORDER SECURITY--NOW

  (Mr. PRICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, our brave men and women in the 
military are accompanied by other brave

[[Page 25021]]

men and women who work hard to protect us. They are our border agents 
who guard our international boundaries, and they are now often serving 
in what amounts to a war zone.
  In the fiscal year just ended, over 650 border agents reported being 
assaulted, the highest number since they began tracking these incidents 
in the 1990s. Compare that to last year's total of 354, and you have to 
wonder just how secure our borders are. Even with sensors and cameras 
and fences, that is not enough. Incidents have increased from San Diego 
to Nogales, Arizona to the banks of the Rio Grande in Texas. It is 
clear we are not getting the job done, and our efforts need to be 
strengthened.
  If our agents have to dodge bullets, then who is controlling our 
borders? Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff said last week that when 
it comes to illegal immigration, time is not on our side. Mr. Speaker, 
Congress should take action now to secure our borders. Our Nation is 
not secure until our borders are secure. That is the necessary and 
first step to any immigration reform. H.R. 3693 is legislation that 
America needs now.

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