Speech #1030012044

And the more that America remains involved in foreign trouble spots. the more likely the risk of harm to our own people. The prime suspect in the World Trade Center bombing. which killed at least five persons and injured a thousand more. Mohammed Salameh. entered the United States in 1980 with a visitors visa issued at the American Embassy in Amman. Jordan. The 20yearold Palestinian. who has a Jordanian passport. claimed he wanted to study here for only 1 year. but he never returned to his homeland. Mir Almal Kansi. the Pakistani sought in connection with the CIA shootings. entered this country in December 1990. with a visa issued at the American Embassy in Karachi. He said he was on business and would leave within I year. but instead he applied for asylum. Armed with his asylum application and a work permit. Kansi was able to obtain a drivers license and purchase the AK47 assault rifle he allegedly used to kill three innocent persons. before fleeing back to Pakistan. Mr. Speaker. we already know of the growing economic and social crisis that illegal immigration is bringing to southern California and the communities and governments of the border States. The number of illegal aliens in America today is not known. but it is estimated that some 3 million can be found in southern California alone. and over 2 million aliens enter this country illegally every year. The cost of the taxpayers nationwide to provide benefits and services for this illegal alien population Is $5.4 billion annually. according to one study. In Los Angeles County alone. providing for some 700.000 illegal immigrants costs county taxpayers $308.4 million. assuming that the aliens paid some $36.2 million in local taxes and fees for services they used. According to an official study of Los Angeles Countys criminal justice system. during a 12month period. over 11 percent of the county jail population were deportable aliensmany of them repeat offenders who. once deported. return to the scene of the crime only to become involved once more in criminal activities. The bill for processing. trying. and incarcerating these criminal aliens came to over $75 million a year. The INS is already overwhelmed. They can only apprehend one out of every three illegal aliens who try to enter our country. and certainly cant keep track of everyone who came here legally but then decided not to return home when their visas expired. Mr. Speaker. I have offered several proposals to meet this problem. One bill. H.R. 1079. would require all immigrants who are legally in this country for any period of time and are eligible to work here to be issued a new counterfeitproof card. in place of the green card and similar in format to the California drivers license. obtainable for a $75 users fee. which they would have to present whenever they applied for a job or unemployment or any other Federal benefit or service. If they could not show this one card. they could not be hired or given benefits. And if they could not get employment or welfare. it is doubtful that an illegal alien would try to come to this country at all or would be able to stay here indefinitely. Another bill. H.R. 1080 would cut off all Federal unemployment and welfare benefits to illegal aliens. And finally. H.R. 1078. would provide the INS and Border Patrol with the additional manpower. training. and resources they need to carry out their job. so that they could round up aliens who have disappeared or outstayed their temporary visas. Mr. Speaker. obviously these bills are not panaceas. But as recent incidents have shown. our borders are like sieves. For various reasons. aliens are entering this country illegally by the millions each year. and some of these people are here with criminal intent. The Congress must act now to prevent a recurrence of this kind of international terrorism committed by illegal aliens. We must change our immigration laws and commit ourselves to a strong program of defense against the illegal aliens who are invading our countryor risk future acts of terror and violence against our citizens. My package of bills will give the Federal authorities the resources they need. and will make it harder for illegal aliens to find Jobs or obtain welfare. I have been working for years now to regain control over our borders. and I hope these tragic incidents will finally persuade more of my colleagues to join me in this fight.