Speech #1040190284

The news stories are a common occurrence. appearing with the same predictable regularity as our weather reports. Let me read you a few. From March 29. 1995: "Fall kills border agent in foot chase." From May 5. 1995: "Alien smugglers are packing cars for perilous treks." From January 26. 1996: "Border crosser. told to pack no provisions. dies in mountains." From February 22. 1996: "31 immigrants caught in stolen vehicles." And just this morning: "Immigrantdocument counterfeiting plant raided. 12 arrested." Most illegals who enter our country are seeking a better life. however. this motivation leaves them vulnerable. In San Diego. illegals will literally risk life and limb running up k--5 during rush hour traffic. Illegals crossing the Mexico border starve before losing their way. or die of exposure in the mountains. We hear constant reports of the horrific. filthy. inhumane conditions they endure at the hands of smugglers. or "coyotes." Alien smugglers make money from their human cargo. and often entangle drug smuggling and other criminal activities in this enterprise. Illegal aliens are robbed and murdered. women and girls are brutally raped and abused by those involved in this Insidious activity. As someone who grew up on our border with Mexico. someone who has pulled the corpses of Illegals who drowned trying to cross the Tijuana River. I would like to tell you that this countrys immigration system is broken. as these tales of tragedy and loss illustrate. I hope that our debate does not focus on intentions. Those who seek a better life in the United States should not be vilified. However. we must remove the attractive nuisance of public benefits which are available to Illegal immigrants. we must give employers a way to verify the legal status of new employees. we must eliminate the backlog of legal immigrants waiting to be granted accessthose who wish to abide by our laws but are frustrated by the pace of assimilation. and thus inclined to break the law to enter the United States. These are the distorted set of incentives that current immigration law has created. These distorted incentives reward those who break our laws. and frustrate those who wish to abide by them. Our current immigration system antagonizes and is contradictory to the very basis of the American dream. The American dream is based upon freedom and hard work. However. if those who wish to be American citizens enter our country illegally. they cannot expect to enjoy the benefits of our freedom. they cannot legally work to support themselves and their families. therefore they cannot hope to leave a better future for their children. I hope that my colleagues will join with me to reform our immigration laws to create a more compassionate system. and eliminate the incentives In our current laws which cause so much suffering. IMMIORANTDOcUMENI CoUNTERFEIrzNo