[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10156-10157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           HOUSE REPUBLICANS ARE FIGHTING FOR BORDER SECURITY

  (Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, House Republicans understand that in this 
post-9/11 world we cannot separate national security from border 
security. On that fateful day back in 2001, we learned that the 
``business as usual'' mentality simply does not work anymore. What our 
Nation needs is a clear immigration enforcement strategy that reduces 
the threat posed by those who are breaking our laws.
  It is estimated that roughly 12 million illegal aliens now reside in 
the United States. Each year the number grows by another 700,000. Yet 
we are arresting the same number of illegal aliens as we did back in 
1977, despite the fact we have many more illegals coming in than we 
used to.

[[Page 10157]]

  Obviously, something has to be done. That is why House Republicans 
voted to pass a major border security bill this past December. This 
bill strengthens our borders, implements employment eligibility 
verification systems, cracks down on those who knowingly hire illegals, 
empowers local law enforcement to enforce our immigration laws and 
expedites the swift deportation of illegal aliens.
  This is something that has to be done and we cannot compromise on 
this. Our Nation's security is at risk, and nothing else is more 
important.

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