Speech #1030008981

The problem is that these veterans often come home to unemployment and disappointment. This bill would take advantage of this opportunity to recruit and utilize readily available. trained military personnel. It offers 2.500 of them an opportunity to continue to serve their country in the Border Patrol and to defend America against an invasion of illegal aliens. Not only would this bill strengthen the Border Patrol. but it would also provide a needed boost to those men and women in the uniformed services who find themselves facing forced separation as a consequence of a downsizing of our defense establishment to the needs of a peacetime military. The manpower and training costs will be borne by the Department of Defense. through a transfer of funds earmarked for the Border Patrol. The savings from the total Federal benefits and services not being provided to illegals will more than pay for the recruitments. The sixth bill is designed to encourage local communities and government agencies. including law enforcement. to cooperate fully with the Immigration and Naturalization Service in the arrest and deportation of undocumented aliens. It would withhold Federal aid to those localities whose officials refuse to hand over illegals who are apprehended while illegally applying for benefits or dwelling in public housing. or are being held for other unlawful activities or for other reasons. This bills purpose is not to turn mayors. sheriffs. and policemen into INS agents. but to make the job of the INS and the Border Patrol a little easier. by facilitating their agents to round up undocumented aliens who happen to be arrested by and are known to local authorities. Currently. the INS is overwhelmed by their limited resources and their enormous task of finding. arresting. and deporting illegal immigrants. whose sheer growing numbers make that job extremely difficult. without the added intransigence of local officials. I have seen too many reported incidents where local authorities arrest and then release undocumented aliens. without even trying to contact the INS. A brief word about the costs of this legislation. I believe that the new tamperproof registration and identification cards will be paid for largely through $75 user fees. but the implementation cost of replacing green cards with new cards and employer education should run around $5 million. The additional personnel and inservice training programs for the Border Patrol will cost $51 million for fiscal year 1993. However. I also believe that the problems created by illegal aliens are of such magnitude that the expenditure of some Federal funds is justified. Moreover. the savings that should be realized from enactment of these bills. especially the costs of police. housing. education. health care and other services. unemployment compensation. and welfare benefits that are imposed on hardpressed government at all levels. should more than pay for the measures I am proposing. Mr. Speaker. the six bills I am offering today are based on legislation I introduced in the 102d Congress. In a number of ways they have been amended and improved. thanks to recommendations and kind assistance from concerned citizens. officials of the Justice Department. especially the Immigration and Naturalization Service. and the House Judiciary minority staff. I believe that my proposals will help to alleviate the illegal immigration crisis in California and elsewhere. I hope that the House will move swiftly to hold hearings on and pass this legislation. I fear that if the Congress fails to take positive action in the near future along the lines I am proposing today. there will be a general ugly backlash against all Immigrants. legal as well as illegal. That would be tragic in a nation founded by immigrants which prides itself on liberty. justice. and opportunity for all. H.R. 1078 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represeniatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled.