Speech #940094973

I rise in support of the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York . I think it is a worthy amendment to the judiciary appropriations measure and I urge my colleagues to support it. This amendment would provide 1.750 new Immigration and Naturalization Service personnel to aid in the fight against illegal aliens. Specifically. the Biaggi amendment adds 800 new border patrolmen. 275 enforcement personnel for detention and deportation. and 450 new investigators. Incredibly. the fiscal year 1976 appropriations for the INS in H.R. 8121 called for only 750 new personnel but did not provide for 1 new investigator despite the fact that there are an estimated 7 to 10 million illegal aliens in our country. Aliens. who enter our Nation illegally and have no right to be here. are taking jobs. housing. public assistance. and other services which cost the U.S. taxpayers substantial money. Moreover. unscrupulous employers are taking advantage of these illegal workers by demanding long hours at a low pay. It is estimated that the stepped up enforcement provided for by this amendment could result in making available 1.000.000 permanent jobs now being held by illegal aliens. These millions of illegal aliens now in our country. who come from virtually every nation on the globe and who usually work for wages far below minimum requirements. warrant our immediate attention. But if we expect the INS to solve the illegal alien problem. we must give them the manpower and funding needed to do the job. Accordingly. I urge my colleagues to fully support this important amendment.