Speech #1040192548

We must remain firm in our commitment to provide for those who are in need. to offer assistance to those who experience temporary setbacks. But we cannot simply be a well from which all may draw without ever giving back. or with no intention of ever leaving the well. But the welfare problem is only one symptom of the illegal immigration epidemic. Jobs of U.S. citizens and legal residents are affected by the number of illegal Immigrants willing to work longer hours for lower wages. Illegal immigrants reduce the employment opportunities of lowskilled workers. and even of skilled workers in areas where the economy is already weak and opportunities less plentiful. According to a New York Times article by Roger Waldinger. a professor of sociology at U.C.L.A.. says that the AfricanAmerican community suffers the most from jobs lost to illegal Immigration. Legal immigrants are also hurt by the growing influx of illegal immigrants. their opportunities decreased and the hopes they brought with them dimmed or extinguished. Many of these U.S. citizens and legal immigrants are then forced into dependency on social programs. increasing the cost that Illegal immigration imposes on the American public. Not only does illegal Immigration cost jobs. it also costs wages. Statistics show that lowskilled workers may experience as much as a 50 percent decline in real wages and that the growing number of illegal immigrants is leading to an increased wage gap between skilled and unskilled workers. I have In my office stacks of reports from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. documenting hundreds of illegal immigrants who are employed here Illegally. The jobs they hold are jobs that rightfully belong to U.S. citizens and lawful residents. But there are more symptoms of this epidemic. U.S. prisons are overflowing with criminal aliensand the vast majority of these are illegal immigrants. In addition to the stacks of reports from the INS which document the employment of Illegal aliens. there are pages of reports on the growing number of illegal Immigrants who are Involved in criminal activity. Many of them enter our judicial and prison systems where. again. millions of dollars are spent on dealing with their criminal activities. Those who enter the United States Illegally and who continue to violate our lawsespedally those who by violence add to the growing problem of violent crime and fear in this countrydo not deserve to stay here. Like other violent criminals. they have complete disregard for the values that U.S. citizens and legal Immigrants hold dear and strive for each day. It is no secret that I support the plight of refugees who seek relief from oppression In their homelands. This empathy for people who love freedom Is a basic tenet of our American tradition. But such empathy should not be confused with support for those--regardless of nationalitywho would Instill fear and terror on the lawabiding citizens of our Nation. I should also make clear that I do not mean to imply that most immigrantsor even most Illegal immigrants--come here to commit violent crimes. Many undocumented Immigrants are driven by the same economic and social factors that cause all of us to want to improve our situations In life. But the United States Is first and foremost a nation of laws. and we have a right to insist on obedience to the law. Mr. Chairman. earlier I quoted the Rand Institutes figure that 50 percent of all illegal Immigrants come to the U.S. by crossing our land border. We owe a word of support and commendation to the men and women who make up our border patrols and stave off hundreds of people who otherwise would have gotten Into the United States without documentation. They place their lives on the line each day to protect the integrity of our borders. They are our first and best line of defense against illegal immigration. They are overworked and In need of more support. We must do everything we can to strengthen our border patrol and improve this first line of defense. The elimination of any epidemic calls for strong and decisive measures. This epidemic of illegal immigration demands the same. Eliminate the benefits that illegal immigrants receive when they arrive. Enforce and strengthen the laws which prohibit the hiring of illegal immigrants. Protect U.S. jobs for U.S. workers. especially for those who are most harmed when their jobs are given to illegal Immigrants. Deal swiftly and decisively with criminal aliens through expedited deportation proceedings. These measures are only a start to address this epidemic. But we must start somewhere.