Speech #980140236

Mr. Speaker. it is imperative that this body be allowed to address the crisis that confronts us at our borders. During the last fiscal year. over 1 million undocumented aliens were apprehended. It should be noted that as a rule of thumb. for every apprehension. it is estimated that two to four successful entries are made. To put this into perspective. this is enough people to comprise at least four new congressional districts. The magnitude of the problem of illegal immigration should not be looked at from a quantitative perspective alone. however. There are also tremendous human costs that are not captured in the recitation of mere numbers. First of all. the undocumented aliens are themselves victims of their innate desire to come here for no other reason that to improve their plight in life. Often beyond the protection of our labor laws. and afraid to report crimes or illness. they are indeed a part of the tragedy of illegal immigration. Second. the American people are also adversely impacted by the uncontrolled flow of illegal immigration. The Department of Labor estimates that about 20 percent of those who enter the United States without the benefit of papers. do so at the cost of jobs that would otherwise go to our own citizens. If we have between 2 and 4 million successful entries. that translates into 400.000 to 800.000 displaced domestic workers. It seems somewhat ironic that this Chamber would spend $4.6 billion on a jobs bill while at the same time fail to take action on immigration reform legislation that could have a direct impact on employment in this country. The fact of the matter is that except for those special interests with a stake in the status quo. the costs of illegal immigration affect us all. The question of immigration reform is not a partisan issue. It affects both Democrat and Republican constituents alike. It likewise requires support on both sides of the aisle if we are ever to have any hope of meeting the challenge at our borders. I invite all of you to join me in signing discharge petition No. 5 to enable us to formulate an immigration policy that is in the national interest.