Speech #1030008981

Mr. Speaker. I am proud of the fact that America is a melting pot of immigrants from all over the globe who contribute to our economic and social greatness. Our Nation has the most liberal immigration policy in the worlda policy I staunchly supportproviding legal entry on an annual basis to more Immigrants than all other countries of the world combined. But we simply cannot afford to let millions of illegals into this country. The result is not only poverty and disillusionment for those who imagined that America offered boundless. easy riches. It also spells hostility among those poor and needy American citizens and legal Immigrants who lose their jobs. free medical care. hospital beds. lowcost housing. and welfare benefits to these illegal aliens. Something must be done to stop this crisis which is threatening to overwhelm southern California and bankrupt many local governments in my State and throughout the border States. The Governor of California has pointed to illegal immigration as a major cause of the States huge budgetary deficit. The mayors and city councils of communities throughout the State have passed resolutions urging action and have contacted my office encouraging my efforts. Judging by the nationwide reaction to the ABCTV "2020" documentary on illegal alien women crossing the Texas border to have their babies delivered free of charge in U.S. hospitals and declared immediately citizens of the United States and to the legislation I proposed In the 102d Congress to address this issue. the people of this country. from coast to coast. are deeply disturbed by the emerging problems of illegal immigration that are suddenly plaguing their neighborhcods. schools. and communities. Mr. Speaker. in order to tackle this difficult and complex problem. I am offering today a legislative package designed to tighten our immigration laws. The six bills I am Introducing address four basic problem areas. First. they will strengthen Federal resources devoted to the problem of law enforcement by increasing Border Patrol manpower and training. including military recruits as patrol officers. stepping up wage and hour enforcement. adding assistant U.S. attorneys assigned to illegal alien cases. enhancing penalties for harboring. and promoting negotiations with our neighbors to stop the flow of Illegals across our borders. Second. they will crack down on document fraud by requiring one secure new identification and registration card in place of the green card only for those immigrants eligible for employment in the United States. Third. they will provide needed assistance to employers by authorizing education programs on the law and simplifying their responsibilities by improving and reducing the number of required identification documents. At the same time. sanctions on employers who flout the law will be stiffened and made more effective. Fourth. they will cut off Federal welfare and other benefits to illegal aliens. Fifth. they will discourage illegal day laborers by permitting the impoundment of vehicles used in the transportation of illegals for employment purposes. And finally. they will encourage local governments to cooperate with the INS on removing illegal aliens from their communities. Let me describe my bills in greater detail. First. the Improved Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 1993 would strengthen the Border Patrol by increasing the positions from the current 4.918 authorized to 6.600 by 1994 and by increasing funding for equipment and support services and improving inservice training. The bill would increase by 580 the number of support positions In the Immigration and Naturalization Service so that they could meet their added responsibilities. It would strengthen enforcement of the employer sanctions by authorizing 250 new fulltime INS investigators. It would also strengthen enforcement of the wage and hour laws by adding 250 positions in the Labor Departments Wage and Hour Division assigned to areas of high concentration of undocumented aliens. Finally. the number of assistant U.S. attorneys assigned to cases involving illegal aliens would be Increased by 21. The penalty for bringing in and smuggling illegal aliens would be increased from 5 to 10 years in prison and/or fines. The bill would also direct the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to undertake negotiations with our neighboring countries to establish programs to stop the illegal smuggling of undocumented aliens into the United States. The cost of this bill is estimated at $51 million-$50 million for equipping and training additional personnel and $1 million for inservice training of the Border Patrol. Second. the Immigration Document Fraud Prevention Act of 1993 would require new counterfeitresistant and tamperproof registration and identification cards to be issued to all aliens eligible to work in the United States. Replacing the old green cards. these cards must be renewed every 10 years upon surrendering the old cards. providing proof of identity. and payment of a $75 user fee. unless waived. The card must contain the bearers photograph and other identifying information and work restrictions. if any. Under this bill the Justice Department. in conjunction with the Labor Department. the Small Business Administration. and the Internal Revenue Service. must provide a nationwide program to educate employers on the uses of the new cards and their legal responsibilities.