Speech #1040272275

I think people are amazed what a terrific and important Congress this has been. I would like to just take a few minutes this morning to address some of the measures in the omnibus bill before the Senate. One such measure is the vast bulk of the immigration conference report. The American people expect the Federal Government to control our countrys borders. We have not yet done so. The American people expect Congress and the President to strengthen the national effort against illegal immigration. Despite the lastminute political gamesmanship of the President. we have included in the omnibus measure provisions dealing with the problem of illegal immigration. This omnibus measure includes the conference report on H.R. 2202. the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. with certain modifications to title V of the conference report. The legislative history of the immigration portion of this measure includes the legislative history of H.R. 2202 and S. 1664. with their accompanying committee reports and floor debates and. in addition. a joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference in Report 104828. The American people should make no mistake about it. There is no thanks owed to President Clinton for this achievement. On August 2. 1996. President Clinton wrote to Speaker GINGRICH. Remarkably. he said unequivocally he would veto this bill even with the significantly modified Gallegly provision on public education for illegal aliens. a compromise which was not even yet at that point in final form. Republican conferees removed that provision from the proposed conference report. a draft of which was initially circulated on September 10. 1996. It was the only issue upon which the President said he would veto this bill. The President had 2 weeks before the actual conference to register other objections to the draft conference report. Yet. only after the conference committee met and filed its report did the President interpose final objections related to title V of the conference report. which addresses immigrants financial responsibilities. The President was apparently willing to shut down the Government or kill the immigration bill on his lastminute demands. The immigration measure in this appropriations bill now contains further concessions to the President. We have finally cleared away the obstructions. and it is my understanding that he no longer has any major objections. This bill is an important bill. It cracks down on illegal immigration. Among other things. it builds up and strengthens the Border Patrol. It authorizes 5.000 new agents and 1.500 new support personnel for the Border Patrol over the next 5 years. This increase basically doubles the size of the Border Patrol. The proposal adds as many as 450 investigators and related personnel to combat illegal alien smuggling into our country over 3 years. The bill provides 300 personnel to investigate those who overstay their visas and thus remain illegally in our country. The conference report requires the Attorney General to establish an automated entry and exit control system to match arriving and departing aliens and to identify visa overstayers. It authorizes acquisition of improved equipment and technology for border control. including helicopters. fourwheel drive vehicles. night vision scopes and sensor units. just to name a few things. The bill adds civil penalties to existing criminal penalties against aliens illegally entering our country. Criminal and civil penalties for document fraud are increased.