Speech #1010216933

LowEY. Mr. PACKARD. and I wish to offer an amendment to increase border patrol personnel by 1.000 in fiscal year 1991. As you know. the U.S. Border Patrol performs a nearly impossible task in. policing our land borders with a relatively small group of dedicated personnel. Over the past several years. this task has grown even more difficult. Since mid1989. there has been a dramatic increase in the number of illegal aliens crossing the U.S. border at vulnerable points in California and Texas. This has caused a disturbing outbreak of violent crime along the southwest border as drug smugglers and armed robbers take advantage of the large groups of aliens attempting to gain entry into the United States. In addition to their primary mission of stopping illegal crossings. the Border Patrol was involved in close to 5.000 narcotics seizures valued at over $1 billion in only the first 6 months of fiscal year 1989. This is greater than the amount seized in all of fiscal year This amendment will bing the total border patrol force more in line with my original amendment to IRCA (Immigration Reform and Control Act] authorizing a 50percent increase for the Border Patrol in fiscal years 1987 and 1988 above the fiscal year 1986 level. When IRCA went into effect. the Border Patrol consisted of approximately 3.600 agents. including support personneltechnicians. supervisors. and so forth. The authorized 50 percent increase should have brought the force up to 5.500 by the end of fiscal year 1988. Unfortunately. this did not happen. Our Border Patrol force today stands at approximately 4.400 agents including support personnel and has actually decreased in size since December 1988. The lack of appropriations. a budget freeze. reprogramming. inflation and other uncontrollable factors have all been roadblocks to achieving the intended increase authorized by IRCA. Earlier this year. the House Judiciary Committee approved unanimously by voice vote an amendment I offered to the DOJ authorization bill providing for $55 million in fiscal year 1991 to increase Border Patrol strength by 1.000. Both chairman BROOKS and Mr. MORRISON. the Immigration Subcommittee chairman. supported this amendment. Unfortunately. a DOJ authorization bill has not been brought to the House floor for a vote in the past decade. and it is not likely that we will have the opportunity to vote on it this year. In a recent study. the center for immigration studies concluded that in spite of the 1986 Immigration and Control Act. illegal migration is rising because of three factors: First. rapid growth in the working age populations in Mexico. Central America and the Caribbean. second weakening of the 1986 law through use of false documents and other forms of subterfuge. and third. shrinking INS resources including fewer Border Patrol agents. It is estimated that it will take two to three times the number of agents currently on board to become an effective deterrent to our illegal Immigration problem. Illegal immigration along the southwest border has surged in recent months. reversing a 3year downward trend that started after the enactment of IRCA. In todays climate. where the volume of drugs coming across the United StatesMexican border has exploded and the flood of illegal immigrants seems endless. it is eminently sensible that we increase the strength of our border patrol.