Speech #1040267326

Mr. Speaker. it is time to take back our borders and cut off the stream of illegal aliens currently flooding across them. This can only be done by increasing the number of border patrol guards and Immigration and Naturalization Service [INS] agents. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act provides over 5.000 border guards and increases the number of INS agents by 300. This additional manpower will give a significant boost to current Republican initiatives such as Operation Gatekeeper and Operation Hold the line which were started under President Bush and have ciearly demonstrated their effectiveness in keeping illegal immigrants out of our country. Unfortunately. no matter how much we try to tighten down our borders. some illegal aliens will slip through the lines. But. even though they may get by our first line of defense this bill will make it more likely that they will be hunted down and deported by the joint efforts of local. State and Federal law enforcement agencies. In addition to the increase in manpower that this bill provides. H.R. 2202. gives law enforcement agencies the technological resources and jurisdiction powers to locate illegal immigrants and deport them expeditiously. Lastly. this bill makes a conscious effort to reform our legal immigration system. Most importantly it will hold sponsors of legal immigrants financially responsible for their guests in our country. As Congress has taken efforts to crack down on "deadbeat dads". H.R. 2202. will crack down on "deadbeat sponsors". In doing so. we will save millions of welfare dollars. which are now being collected by legal aliens. This bill is not the endall of immigration reform. but this bill. coupled with the Republican welfare bill which was recently signed into law will go a long way in slowing the tide. I urge my colleagues to support it.