Speech #1030056061

When we finally built a stool fence along the border. they were no longer able to move back and forth. and as a result of that. while we had nine murders a year for the last 10 years or so. up until two years ago after we built the fence we went to zero murders. and all those citizens who were murdered were citizens of Mexico. So the facts are that having an open border. having a border out of control does not serve anybody well and it does not serve any nation. Now. we have the most benevolent immigration policy in the world. and I know we are going to be addressing that shortly. but having that benevolent immigration policy requires that we have some integrity at our borders and some border control. Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the gentleman from California for being one who really has driven authorization in the past. the gentleman from California for all the work he has done. the gentlewoman from California . the gentleman from California . the gentleman from California . the gentleman from Florida . the gentleman from Wisconsin : the gentleman from Georgia . the gentlewoman from California for her exollent statement. the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Goss]. and of course. the ranking member. the gentleman from Kentucky for his help in the discussion today and of course. our chairman. for putting up with this long discussion. Members who have not been tuning in to this discussion might ask. "Why do you have to have more Border Patrol?" It is because there is only one agency that patrols the U.S. border that is given that charter. and that is the Border Patrol. So for reasons of social costs brought on by illegal aliens. criminal justice costs. narcotics smuggling. and I think importantly in the future perhaps deterrence of terrorists who want to cross the international border. we have to have people at the border. You cannot control the border without personnel. That means Border Patrol. This amendment for some 600 additional Border Patrol agents. while it does not meet the standards that we set in 1986 when we changed the Immigration law. nonetheless it takes a major step forward. Mr. Chairman.