Speech #1050206696

Mr. President. I would like to take a moment to comment on a provision included in the omnibus appropriations measure that would modify section 110 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Section 110 would have required the INS to establish. by September 30. 1998. an automated entry and exit control system to document the arrival and departure of every alien entering the United States. This particular language in the Illegal Immigration Reform Act was adopted only in conference and had the unintended and unforeseen consequence of requiring the INS to implement automated entry and exit control at land borders and at seaports. rather than simply at airports. I learned of this market early this Congress and realized that extremely grave consequences would result to trade. commerce. tourism. and legitimate crossborder traffic if it were implemented anywhere other than at airports. My home State of Michigan would be hardhit. More United StatesCanada trade crosses the Michigan border than in any other State. The American automobile industry in particular would be devastated. That industry alone conducts over $300 million of trade with Canada every single day. and relies on new "justintime" delivery methods that make United StatesCanada border crossings an integral part of American automobile manufacturing. A delivery of parts delayed by as little as twenty minutes can cause expensive assembly line shutdowns. Unfortunately. testimony at the two Immigration Subcommittee hearings I chaired on this topic indicated that delays at the border could immediately exceed 24 hours. Implementation of entry and exit control at the land borders would effectively shut the border and effectively shut down the auto and many other industries. It would also involve untold expenditures in the billions of dollars for new infrastructure and personnel.