Speech #1040272255

Rather. we have the responsibility to take action now. And the bill in this continuing resolution does offer strong reform. This is not a perfect bill. but its major thrust is to stop illegal immigration. And carried out and enforced. I believe it can make a major step forward in that direction. Let me just quickly talk for a few moments about some of the key provisions. Mr. President. both you and I strongly supported the provision to add 1.000 new border patrol agents each year for the next 5 years and allow the Attorney General to increase support personnel at the border by 300 per year. over the same period. This effectively doubles the strength of the Border Patrol. I think this works. Since 1993. Border Patrol. along our southwest border. has increased by 50 percent in personnel. And. as a result. apprehensions of illegal immigrants rose more than 60 percent in 1 month at the beginning of this year. Clearly. the presence of added Border Patrol makes a difference in controlling illegal immigration. This bill improves border infrastructure. authorizing $12 million for new equipment and technologies for border control. including building a triple fence in appropriate areas. and new roads. This would be in one of the most highly traveled and difficult to patrol areas along the southwest border. The bill adds 600 new INS investigators in 1997 alone to enforce our laws. I have heard critics criticize this bill. saying it does not do enough in that direction. However. there will be 150 more investigators to investigate employer violations. 150 to investigate criminal aliens. and 300 designated to investigate visa overstays in 1997. You and I know that onehalf of the people who come into our country illegally have visas and they just simply overstay that visa. And the visa. up to this point. has had no teeth. If they disappear into the fabric of the society. it is very difficult to find them to enforce that visa. This bill dedicates 300 new INS investigators to visa overstays. It is the first real effort this Congress has made to control one of the biggest problem areas in illegal immigration. And the bill allows the Attorney General to establish an automated entry and exit control system. to match arriving and departing aliens and identify those who overstay their visas. It precludes a person who overstays his or her visa from returning to this country for up to 10 years. This gives meaning to a visa. In a sense. in a great sense. I am sorry we have reached this day and age in our very free society.