Speech #1050089355

When that vote comes. I urge my colleagues to vote against any extension. Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act should not be extended. This rewards illegal immigrants who knowingly violated the law and permits them to remain in the United States and gain permanent status. What message does this send to people around the world? It tells them that they are better off to break the law than to follow it. It sends the wrong message to lawabiding people in other countries who have legally applied for entry into the United States while remaining in their homelands for their visas to become available. It tells them to come to this country illegally and then adjust the residence status. Section 245(i) inundates the INS another endless set of applications. further creating a backlog to delay conducting background checks and investigating fraudulent applications. I am concerned today that our benefits system acts as a magnet for many illegal immigrants. For example. many children of illegal immigrants receive a free education in U.S. public schools at the expense of American taxpayers. driving up the cost of education and taking resources away from U.S. children. The State of New Jersey alone spends an estimated $146 million a year to educate about 16.000 children of illegal aliens. The argument has been made that by allowing section 245(i) to stay on the books. the INS makes up to $125 million in revenue received from the $1.000 fee that aliens pay to obtain legal status. But. this money pales in comparison to the multibillion dollar cost imposed on taxpayers as a result of the devastating consequences of illegal immigration. The cost associated with providing Federal benefits to illegal immigrants is astronomical. While as a society. we should not turn people away from an emergency room or deny food to the hungry. but I do not believe we should reward illegal immigrants by allowing them to stay. While millions of others wait their turn in line. year after year to enter legally. Although I understand that there are extenuating circumstances in some cases.