Speech #1040190349

Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong support in H.R. 2202. the Immigration In the National Interest Act. I am a strong supporter of both illegal and legal immigration reform and I am gratified to have the opportunity to debate this important matter on the floor of the House. But before I continue. I would be remiss if I did not commend LAMAR SMITH and JoHN BRYANT. chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims. for the leadership they have shown on this issue. Our Nation is in dire need of comprehensive immigration reform and I thank them for taking on this difficult task. We are all aware of the tremendous strain that the massive inflow of illegal aliens is having on Texas and other border States. Illegal aliens and criminal aliens are having a significant impact on State services. such as health care. public safety. education. and criminal justice. However. in addition to combating illegal immigration. I believe that we must also address legal immigration in a fair manner. I am not opposed to immigrants coming to America seeking a better life. for I am a descendent of Swedish immigrants. And while I believe that the majority of immigrants have made. and continue to make. significant contributions to our society. I oppose increasing immigration levels until we control the overwhelming number of illegal aliens coming into our country. In order to combat and deter illegal immigration. H.R. 2202 steps up both border security and interior enforcement. Increased manpower. technology. equipment. and physical barriers will help to provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] with the tools they need to control our borders. Additionally. the bill removes the incentives. such as jobs and public benefits. that encourage illegal immigration. This bill specifies that illegal aliens are denied public benefits. makes enforceable the grounds for denying entry or removing aliens who are or are likely to become a public charge. and makes those who agree to sponsor immigrants legally responsible to support them. This bill also enhances enforcement and penalties against alien smuggling. document fraud. and passport and visa offenses. as well as. reforms rules and procedures to make it easier to remove illegal aliens from the United States. In terms of enforcement. one of the most important things we can do is to create a worker verification system. H.R. 2202 includes a voluntary pilot program in five of the seven States with the highest populations of illegal aliens to test an employment eligibility confirmation system. During House consideration of this bill. Representative ELTON GALLEGLY will offer an amendment to make this pilot program mandatory. I believe this amendment is critical to making immigration reform successful and will vigorously support it. If we do not have some type of worker verification system in place we will never have a serious opportunity to combat illegal immigration. In addition to worker verification. Representative BILL MCCOLLUMs amendment. which directs the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration to make necessary improvements in the Social Security card to secure it against counterfeiting and fraudulent use. will make great strides in eliminating the magnet that draws illegal immigrants to our countryjobs. I firmly believe that in order to control our illegal immigration problem we must secure identification documents against counterfeiting. Without worker verification and secure documentation. much of what we are proposing here today will be difficult to enforce. I urge my colleagues to support these vital amendments. and support this comprehensive reform package on final passage.