Speech #830189473

The effect of the amendment is very simple. It doubles the amount of money for the border patrol along our northern and southern borders made available in the bill as reported. I believe that a doubling. or even a tripling. of the activities of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in manning the borders against illegal immigrationI emphasize illegal immigrationin the prevention. detection. and apprehension of illegal immigration across our land borders. is still inadequate. I would assume. however. that the Immigration and Naturalization Service would find it administratively difficult to initiate. immediately. the full expansion of its border activities that would be necessary to put a complete halt to illegal border crossing. A doubling of those activities. however. should not be too much of a strain. And then I hope that the Immigration and Naturalization Service will come back to Congress and tell us how much money is necessary to do the job completely and effectively. I want the Senate. here and now. to put the executive branch on notice that we want illegal immigration stopped. at whatever cost. I can think of no justification for a continuation of the lax practices of the recent past. In my judgment. it is a shame and a scandal. I am aware. Mr. President. of the official announcements of the past week that the Immigration Service is going to increase its patrol guard in certain of the border areas. and that patrol forces are being taken from the port areas and from the Canadian border to man the Mexican border. I congratulate General Swing. the new Immigration and Naturalization Commissioner. I congratulate Attorney General Brownell for this recent. if belated. recognition of the present shocking situation. I assume that the Immigration Service will be coming to Congress with a request for supplementary funds to cover this new program. Let us not wait for such a request. Let us provide the money now. This is an emergency situation. It is just as much of an emergency as any we have faced in recent years. It is urgent that Congress stanch the flow of illegal immigration over the Mexican and Canadian borders. The security of the United States is being imperiled day by day. our labor standards are being imperiled day by day. and our complex and cumbersome immigration systemtoo cumbersome and too restrictive. in my judgmentis being made a mockery of. As my colleagues in the Senate know. I am not a supporter of the present immigration laws. I opposed the McCarranWalter Act when it was passed. I fought to sustain President Trumans veto of it.