Speech #1090061479

But we have not provided them with the resources they need to be able to give them any reasonable chance of success. Last week. the Senate approved the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. which. to the credit of the Senator from New Hampshire. Senator GREGG. included increases for border security and immigration enforcement. Senator KYL and I have introduced a bill that we believe builds on that foundation. First of all. it authorizes 1.250 new Customs and border protection officers over the next 5 years. It calls on the Department of Homeland Security to hire 10.000 new Border Patrol agents over that same 5year period. That same amount was authorized by Congress in the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. It calls for the expansion of a process called expedited removal. which is a fair and effective system for quickly removing those who are ineligible to enter our country. Right now. we only use expedited removal in a few locations along the border. But our bill calls for the Department of Homeland Security to expand that process to all Border Patrol sectors. and we also provide for additional safeguards for aliens by requiring a supervisory official with the Government sign off on any removal. Let me say a quick word about expedited removal. Right now. because of a lack of detention facilities. we have what is commonly called a "catch and release" program. For those we catch coming across the border illegally. a criminal background check is done to determine whether they are a threat to the American people: but if they dont appear on one of these watch lists or criminal background databases. they are released into the U.S. and asked to return for a hearing. It should not surprise any of us that this "catch and release" program results in more people not showing up than do show up. and those who show up for their hearing and are ordered removed then do not show up later when they are asked to report for their deportation process. So that is the problem that we simply have to remedy. And I believe that expansion of the expedited removal process will deal with it in a way that is consistent with our laws and our values and our need for an effective border security program. Our bill also addresses the release of aliens who come into the country from countries other than Mexico. It raises the minimum bond amounts for these aliens from $1.500 to $5.000. That means that fewer people from countries other than Mexico will be released. and those who are released will have a greater incentive to appear for their hearings. Another important component of immigration reform is interior enforcement. We also need to deal with those who make it past the border and into the interior of our Nation. Tackling illegal immigration cannot be done in a piecemeal fashion. If we increase our ability to apprehend illegal aliens at the border. we must have a place to put them. Once detained. lawyers and judges are necessary to ensure that these people receive timely and fair hearings. Reform. therefore. must evaluate the whole enforcement process. and we must remove obstacles that appear anywhere in the process.