Speech #1040267322

We are now faced with a bill. H.R. 2202. introduced after closeddoor Republican sessions. that could damage our borders. hurt American workers and their families. and increase the burden on our taxpayers. Jobs are the magnet attracting illegal immigrants. and it is a criminal network of employers who hire these workers at the expense of unemployed Americans. We must make it clear to those rogue employers. who are willing to cheat hardworking Americans out of employment opportunities. that their behavior will not be tolerated. Instead. this bill lessens the penalties against those who skip over American workers to hire foreign workers. It also reduces the number of inspectors we wanted to put in the field to combat this illegal behavior. If you are a U.S. citizen. willing to work hard and make an honest living. you may still lose out due to the growing number of employers allowed to flaunt the law and hire cheaper illegal immigrants without the real risk of punishment under the law. Mr. Speaker. existing laws limit the ability of legal immigrants to become public charges. However. the harsh deeming requirements in H.R. 2202 will deny many legal immigrants assistance they should be entitled to. I say entitled. not only because they are legal residents who pay taxes and are eligible for the draft. but because they pay far more in taxes than they use in public services. The Urban Institute conducted a study which found that legal immigrants pay $40 billion more in taxes than they collect in public assistance. Similar studies have shown that legal immigrants are less likely to collect public assistance than U.S. citizens. And the conservative Federal Reserve Bank of New York published a study which shows that immigrant families contribute approximately S2.500 more in taxes than they obtain in public services. In addition. it appears that the antienvironment 104th Congress had to attack our environmental laws one more time in their mad rush to adjourn. The provision. deemed even by my proenvironment Republican colleagues to be outrageous. would inflict a loss of power for States and local governments anywhere along thousands of miles of our Canadian and Mexican borders to build fences. roads. or other infrastructure.