Speech #1030055832

I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Let me just say that may two colleagues who spoke previously. from California. illuminated an issue that is extremely important to the people of this country and the taxpayers of this country. We have a virtual tidal wave of illegal aliens coming across the MexicanAmerican border. We have problems on both the east and the west coast as well. But the real major problem is that 1.980 border between us and Mexico. I was just in Mexico about 21h weeks ago. I found that we are getting about 2.2 million illegal aliens crossing that border per year. We are sending about half of them back. but we are keeping 1 to 1.2 million illegal aliens in this country. They are going all over the place. but particularly in the Southwest and in California. Last year. I hope all my colleagues will pay attention to this and everybody in the country. last year there were 37.000 illegal alien births in Los Angeles County alone. in one county. in Los Angeles County. CA. there were 37.000 illegal alien children born last year alone. Each one of those children. when they are born. are eligible for AFDC payments of about $620 per month. That is $25 million a month in welfare payments to illegal alien children in one county in one State in the whole country. Now. we have to do something about that. The taxpayers of this country do not want their money spent for that purpose. How do we do it? Well. the gentleman from California has suggested that we get 600 more Border Patrol people on that border. Granted. that is not enough. but that is a step in the right direction. I am going to propose an amendment today that will cut the Commerce Department back to the rate of inflation. In other words. we will increase their budget to the rate of inflation. If we cut it back to that level in this bill. we will save $60 million. and that will pay for the amendment of the gentleman from California . which will put 600 more Border Patrol people on that border to keep these illegal aliens out. I am telling Members. it is a major. major problem. The welfare benefits. the benefits for prenatal care and for postnatal care for these people. the health benefits. all that stuff adds up to billion of dollars that we cannot afford with the huge deficit that we are incurring right now.