Speech #1040005602

Speaker. I have today reintroduced legislation aimed at addressing a problem that most Americans now recognize as a pressing threat to our way of life and the continued success of our Nation. That problem is illegal immigration and I hope that the package of reforms I propose willonce and for all--help establish firm control over our borders and make it much more difficult for those who enter our country illegally to benefit by breaking the law. Illegal immigration was first recognized as a drain on public funds and a detriment to public welfare In the border States where it has been most prevalent over the years. In recent years. though. more and more Americans from a much wider geographic area have come to understand the overwhelming burden placed upon lawabiding taxpayers by those who enter this country illegally. For years. citizens in border States have demanded a Federal response to this problem and. for years. the Federal Government has turned a deaf ear to the plight of those legal residents asked to house. school. treat. and feed those with no legal right to be here. The response has been so dismal. in fact. that over the past year some border States have actually sued the Federal Government in hopes of retrieving some of the billions of dollars spent attending to the needs of illegal Immigrants. But the apex of the public outcry against illegal immigration. I believe. was reached this past November. when nearly 60 percent of California voters supported a statewide initiative aimed at eliminating the benefits awarded to those who break the law when they enter this country. The overwhelming passage of proposition 187 sends a clear message to those who write the laws governing life in this Nation thaton this issuethe people have had enough and they want something done. Illegal immigration is perhaps the only situation I know of where those who openly and knowingly break the law not only escape punishment. they are in fact rewarded beyond their wildest dreams. Until we combine tougher border enforcement with the elimination of benefits awarded those who enter this country illegally. we will never be able to end the drain on public resources and to protect opportunities for those legal immigrants who seek to make a life here and to capture their share of the American dream. Mr. Speaker. illegal immigration is a complex and divisive issue and I recognize that no single legislative package could ever fully address its many facets and implications. I hope. however. that the bills I introduce today will provide a foundation for an appropriate Federal response to this crisis. As the head of a congressional task force on Immigration that you created. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues on this issue and particularly with my good friend