Speech #1040204711

Mr. President. this amendment is a seconddegree amendment to the one proposed by the distinguished Senator from Wyoming. The amendment will improve the Federal Governments ability to deter illegal immigration by enhancing the enforcement of our existing laws. In particular. this amendment would create a separate office within the INS to ensure that our employer sanction laws are effectively and fairly enforced. The fact is that employment is the single most important enticement that brings illegal immigrants to our shores. If we want to address seriously the illegal immigration problem in this country. we must address ourselves to the root of that problem. which is the jobs. In 1986 we started down the right track with the Immigration Reform Control Act. better known as the SimpsonMazzoli Act. In that bill we enacted. after considerable debate. employer sanctions which imposed civil penalties on employers of illegal aliens and criminal penalties for pattern or practice violations. We put very tough teeth in the lawup to a $10.000 fine. up to 3 years in jail. Those provisions are strong and. if enforced adequately. would deter the hiring of illegal aliens. This bill makes important headway in improving these laws. However. one critical element is missing: These laws. those that we passed in 1986. are not being adequately enforced.