[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20902]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, last evening the majority leader and I had 
an exchange on the Senate floor with regard to a proposed amendment by 
our side that would enhance Federal spending on border security 
measures and interior enforcement by $3 billion. While it is fair to 
say there was virtually universal support on this side of the aisle, 
there was some objection on the other side of the aisle, so that 
amendment was defeated.
  Then the majority leader came back with a proposal that would strip 
some of the language from that amendment, but nevertheless would commit 
$3 billion to border security. I told the majority leader that I 
believed it should also include a way to spend that money not just on 
the border but also for interior enforcement of our immigration laws. 
In particular, I mentioned the sad phenomenon of roughly 600,000 
absconders, people who have been ordered deported and who have simply 
gone underground rather than obey that lawful order from a court, or 
people who have actually been deported and then reentered the country 
after they have been deported. Both of those categories of individuals 
are known as absconders. They are, under the Immigration and 
Naturalization Act, felons.
  I thought it was important that if we were going to be serious about 
enforcing our immigration laws we not just deal with the border, as 
important as that is, but we also deal with interior enforcement.
  We were unable to reach an agreement last night, but I am pleased to 
say the majority leader was generous enough to call me last night and 
to tell me he wanted to look more closely at the language we had 
proposed. I take it from some of his remarks this morning on the floor 
that it is likely we will be able to reach some sort of agreement that 
will see those funds in this bill, $3 billion, where the Federal 
Government will finally do what it has advertised and promised to do 
for a long time, and that is to actually put the resources behind 
border security and enforcement of our immigration laws, rather than 
promise a lot and deliver very little.
  I am grateful to the majority leader for working with me on that 
issue. I am hopeful Senator Graham, who was the principal proponent of 
the border security amendment yesterday that I was proud to cosponsor, 
will be back here at 10:30 a.m. when we get back on the bill to talk 
about that amendment. I hope we can reach an agreement. It will go a 
long way toward beginning to regain the lost confidence and trust of 
the American people when it comes to our broken immigration system.
  If there is one diagnosis I would make from our immigration debate 
over the last few weeks, it has been that people do not trust the 
Federal Government to actually do what it promises to do in this area. 
Where we have to start is on a firm foundation of border security and 
interior enforcement and from that build to a more comprehensive 
approach that deals with all aspects of the problem.

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