Speech #1040191342

I appreciate the chairman of the subcommittee yielding me this time for a colloquy. Mr. Chairman. this bill authorizes an increase in Border Patrol agents by 1.000 agents each year from 1996 through the year 2000. Yet. the report language requires the deployment of these new agents at sectors along the borders of the United States in proportion to the number of illegal border crossings. Therefore. I am concerned that some States which are not officially designated as border States. such as Florida. will be overlooked when the INS distributes the new agents. Earlier this year. the INS temporarily deployed eight Border Patrol agents from Florida to the Southwest border. Border Patrol agents in Florida have gradually diminished from 85 agents a few years ago to just 41 agents today. In my home district. the Palm Beach Border Patrol office has just three agents and one supervisor who are responsible for covering eight counties and 120 miles of coastline. These are not enough resources to effectively protect our shores from illegal immigration. Florida experienced an estimated 52percent increase in Border Patrol apprehensions from 1994 to 1995. One in nine of our Nations illegal immigrants now reside in Florida and could be as high as 450.000. These alarming statistics clearly demonstrate the critical need for a strong Border Patrol force in Florida. While I support a strong Border Patrol force for the entire Nation. it seems that the unique illegal immigration problems facing Florida has not been fairly recognized by the INS. Therefore. I would seek the support of the gentleman from Texas on this issue during conference and the appropriations process to ensure that in the distribution of the new agents.