[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8240-8241]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IMMIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, last night the President of the United 
States addressed the Nation on the need to fix a broken immigration 
system, the focus of that speech last night being on securing the 
borders. The President was very clear on the fact that our borders have 
to be secure, we have to stop the hemorrhaging of people coming across-
the-border for an immigration plan to really work. I applaud the 
President's leadership on this important issue, this pressing issue, 
especially because we are in the middle of this debate on the floor of 
the Senate. I support the proposal in terms of turning to the National 
Guard as a short-term, an interim, stopgap measure to secure our 
borders because anything we do does take time.
  The President outlined the progress that has been made over the last 
4 to 5 years on the border. Yet the problem gets worse and worse, in 
spite of the fact that we do have more people on the border. Our 
infrastructure is getting better, and we are building barriers. The 
fact is, as the President said last night, our borders are out of 
control, and we are failing the American people until we bring them 
back under control. Our border agents down there are stretched too far. 
They are overstretched. Technology has not been fully applied to the 
degree that it should be. Each year we have millions of undocumented 
immigrants, illegal immigrants once they cross that border, who come 
across the southern border and indeed our other borders as well.
  We catch more than we did in the past, but the numbers coming are 
increasing even faster than the numbers we catch, and far too many 
escape detection, and then, unfortunately, because of a catch-and-
release program which is not working to the degree it should, as the 
President mentioned last night, they are then released into the 
country.
  We need to beef up the electronic surveillance and physical barriers 
where appropriate. Bottom line, we need to stop the hemorrhaging, and 
the President laid out a five-point plan very specifically last night, 
as to how we might do that. The reality of his remarks last night is 
that we are debating that very issue on the floor and this body must 
act, and will act, over the next 9 or 10 days to secure those borders 
and further the comprehensive immigration reform plan that addresses 
the issue of security and enforcement at the workplace, a strong 
temporary worker program, and addressing--a lot of the amendments will 
focus on this--the situation of 12 million people who are here 
illegally.
  Our supplemental appropriations bill we passed a few weeks ago 
included almost $2 billion to repair fences in high-traffic areas, to 
replace broken Border Patrol aircraft for lower traffic areas, and for 
supporting training of additional customs and Border Protection agents. 
We paid for this additional spending by cuts in other areas. The 
Senate--and we will hear this debated over the next several days--is 
near consensus on putting nearly 15,000 new border security agents in 
the field over the next 6 years.
  We are taking action. We are taking control. But these changes are 
going to take time. It is not a matter of just money, it is a matter of 
training and support and applying that technology. That is why I 
strongly support the President's proposal last night of sending a 
contingent of National Guardsmen now as an interim measure.

[[Page 8241]]

  But that is an interim measure, and securing our border is only one 
part--a very important part and many argue it is the most important 
part--of a comprehensive immigration reform plan that has to be tough, 
it has to be fair, and that does have to be comprehensive.
  We started the debate once again yesterday, and we will continue 
today and throughout the course of this week. I am confident that by 
staying focused under the leadership of our tremendous managers, 
Chairman Specter and Ranking Member Leahy, we will be able to pass a 
bipartisan comprehensive plan before Memorial Day.
  I, also, thank Senators Hagel and Martinez for their determined 
efforts to bring consensus to the issue at hand. Under their 
leadership, we have developed, building on the work of others--namely, 
Senator McCain and Senator Kennedy--a fair, workable plan to help deal 
with each of the four components of the comprehensive immigration 
proposal, but most specifically to address the 12 million people who 
currently live in the United States illegally.
  The overall approach deals with the diversity of this population. We 
know that 40 percent of these 12 million people have been here longer 
than 10 years. Many are fully assimilated into our society today. We 
know we can't give people who have broken the law a leg up in applying 
for American citizenship, but they must be treated fairly, must be 
treated compassionately, and that is what this bill intends to do. And 
it may be modified in making it even a little better over the next 
several days.
  Law breakers should not be able to cut in line, as the President 
mentioned last night. People in this category need to be put at the end 
of the line.
  I am confident that as we proceed with the debate, as long as we 
consider these amendments in a fair and open way, and we have that well 
underway today, we will have a comprehensive bill. Immigration is not a 
Republican issue, it is not a Democratic issue, it is a sensitive issue 
that touches on our values as a nation. We should not have to choose 
between respect for history as a country of immigrants with the respect 
for our laws. I am confident we will be able to pass this comprehensive 
plan in the days to come.

                          ____________________