Speech #1090055799

I hope that this issue will be carefully reconsidered as this measure continues through the legislative process. As encouraged as I am to see additional resources directed to the border. enforcement alone will never fully secure our border. Over the last 12 years. the Federal Government has tripled spending on technology and infrastructure to secure the border and tripled the number of border patrol personnel. Yet during that same time. illegal immigration is estimated to have doubled. The lesson here is important: as long as there is a need for workers in this country that goes unmet by the domestic workforce. and as long as there are workers in other countries willing to risk their lives for the opportunity to take those jobs. they will find a way in. The simple fact is this: our Nations borders are extremely porous. For the last several years the volatile conditions at our Nations southwestern border have grown unsustainable. The cost of our broken immigration system is increasingly borne by local communities and State governments through uncompensated health care. unreimbursed law enforcement costs. environmental degradation. and an increased sense of lawlessness. As these conditions have worsened. several Members of this body. including myself. have put forth proposals to reform our Nations immigration laws and improve security along the border and in the interior. Immigration reform is one of the most critical issues facing our Nation today. and I hope the Senate will soon turn to this issue. Funding for additional manpower and technology improvements must continue. but our borders will never be fully secure without comprehensive immigration reform. I support provisions in the bill and accompanying report which encourage the Department. specifically the Transportation Security Administration. TSA. and ICE. to invest in improved technology. The report finds that the Department. "should not be operating on stovepipped. disconnected. inherited information technology systems." but rather the Department should be equipped with the best technology systems available in order to reduce reliance on personnel and improve security. In particular. I am encouraged to see funding for the deployment of new equipment and technology to the border. including to Arizona. which In recent years has become a leading gateway for illegal immigration. Additionally. I am pleased that the Appropriations Committee has encouraged the TSA to consistently implement a risk management approach to decisionmaking to prioritize security improvements as recommended by the General Accountability Office earlier this year.