Speech #970037691

Mr. Chairman. the bill before us today. H.R. 3462. the Department of Justice authorization bill for fiscal year 1982. provides $388.602.000 and 10.504 positions for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. These levels were agreed upon unanimously by the Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees. and International Law. which I chair. the Subcommittee on Monopolies and Commercial Law. and the full Committee on the Judiciary. The funding level in the bill before the House today restores 973 positions of the 1.355 proposed to be cut by the administration. The bill increases the administration recommended funding level by $25.226.000. The bill restores 160 border patrol positions. all of which the administration proposed to cut. It provides additional funding for the border patrol to operate all of the helicopters now available to it and to purchase additional necessary equipment. My subcommittee recently visited the border area in southern California and was impressed with the competence and professionalism of the border patrol. Yet. the border patrol needs the personnel and funding provided by the bill before us today if it is to patrol our borders adequately. The bill would also restore several other personnel cuts proposed by the administration: 200 positions in the INS inspections section. Inspectors staff all ports of entry into this country. Four hundred and three INS investigators are restored. Investigators conduct investigations leading to the apprehension of illegal aliens when they have managed to penetrate the border. Two hundred adjudicator positions have been restored. Adjudicators handle the more than 30 types of petitions by which individuals seek certain benefits or rights under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Finally. 10 foreign service posts were restored. These persons are important in the effort to screen refugee admissions properly. The funding provided in the bill also includes $1 million to continue the design and implementation of a nonimmigrant arrival/departure system for the INS. The INS needs an effective and efficient control over the comings and goings of people who enter this country on a temporary basis.