[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 28271]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  (Mr. GINGREY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stress America's need for 
border security reform. We should be supporting those who enforce our 
laws, not rewarding those who break them. I believe our border security 
problem can be managed and controlled, but to do so, we need the vital 
assistance of our local and State governments.
  Local law enforcement personnel see the repercussions of illegal 
immigration every day, but unfortunately, they do not have the clear 
authority to handle this problem, nor do they have the infrastructure 
and financial resources to turn illegal immigrants over to Federal 
authorities. This has to change.
  The House version of our border security plan cannot be complete 
without language to help local authorities enforce our laws. My friend 
and colleague from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) has introduced the CLEAR Act, 
and I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation.
  As we debate immigration reform, we must remember that illegal 
immigration is both a national and a local problem, and our solutions 
must assist law enforcement at all levels.

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