[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6287]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      ENFORCE OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS

  (Mr. KELLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge our government to start 
enforcing our immigration laws dealing with alien smuggling.
  It is a felony, punishable by a minimum of 3 years in prison, to 
bring an alien into the United States for financial gain. These alien 
smugglers, also called ``coyotes,'' get approximately $1,500 per 
illegal immigrant smuggled into the U.S.
  On my recent trip to the Mexico border, Border Patrol agents in 
California told me they have arrested the same coyotes 20 times, but 
they are not prosecuted. The pathetic failure of the U.S. attorney in 
San Diego to prosecute alien smugglers who have been arrested 20 times 
is a demoralizing slap in the face to Border Patrol agents who risk 
their lives every day. This U.S. attorney has, however, recently 
prosecuted someone for selling a Mark McGwire baseball card with a 
forged signature.
  Here is a tip: Stop worrying about baseball cards and start worrying 
about our national security and enforcing our immigration laws.

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