Speech #980210430

We heard from just about every interested party before marking up and adopting a bill which. with a few amendments adopted in full committee. is before the House today. Although I do have some concerns about some of the provisions of this bill. I believe that overall it will bring sense to our immigration laws and will help restore our control over our own borders. an essential part of national sovereignty. I believe that the bill. if properly implemented. will have the effect of limiting illegal immigration. When the Judiciary Committee approved the bill last year. it provided the resources needed to keep illegal aliens from entering the United States by authorizing more than the Presidents budget for the Immigration and Naturalization Service which enforces the immigration laws. The bill will permit the INS to hire more Border Patrol agents. more Border Patrol personnel. inspectors. and investigators. The committee also adopted my amendment authorizing $35 million to reimburse Federal and State agencies for any expenses that might be incurred in any future influx of refugees. Some opponents of this bill have argued that we should have these additional law enforcers in place before adopting legislation that would impose sanctions on those who hire illegal aliens. I fail to see the logic behind this. Indeed. unless this Congress wants to build a wall around this country or have the Border Patrol link arms along every foot of our land borders. additional law enforcement officers alone will not stop illegal immigration. The additional INS personnel can only be effective if they have a strong law to enforce. Since joining the subcommittee and becoming actively involved in this issue.