Speaker. tonight I want to talk about an issue that I think has enormous impact on the future of our Nation. Unlike many issues that we deal with. such as crime or taxes. which are likewise dealt with by our colleagues at the State and local level. this issue is one which is exclusively the responsibility of the Federal Government. That issue is immigration. As a Nation of immigrants. many of us are reluctant to deal with this matter because we are concerned that we will be accused of being prejudiced or having an ethnic bias. However. the overriding issue is not that we are a Nation of immigrants. but that we are primarily a Nation of laws. We have immigration laws which define who will be allowed into our country. The increasingly evident truth is that our immigration laws are being flaunted. and the Federal agency charged with enforcing these laws. the Immigration and Naturalization Service. the INS. is failing to fulfill the obligations to our citizens. It is appropriate to ask why. Is it because this administration has made the enforcement of our immigration laws a very low priority. and if so. why is that so? The facts are very clear. There are an estimated 5.5 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. An additional 275.000 to 300.000 illegal aliens are coming to our country every year. Even though the INS removed a record 169.000 illegals last year. it was not as many as entered the country illegally during the same time period. What are the consequences of this invasion by illegals?
Keywords matched
Immigration immigration illegal immigrants immigrants Naturalization illegal aliens