Speech #1090075907

As a member of the Subcommittee on Homeland Security of the Committee on Appropriations. I am especially pleased that this bill provides the resources needed to help secure our border. There are a lot of proposals in Congress that deal with the problem of illegal immigration. and they vary tremendously. but they all have one common theme to them. one common thread. and that is. they all recognize the need to secure our border. and this bill helps to provide the resources that are necessary to accomplish that goal. The bill ensures that Customs and Border Patrol will have ample funds to protect our borders and enforce our immigration laws. We have to secure the border. and this appropriation bill provides the Department of Homeland Security with the resources it needs to get the job done. From additional agents. detention space. airplanes. helicopters. unmanned aerial vehicles. to better technology for securing and facilitating travel into the United States by land. air and sea. this bill has nearly everything that is needed to protect our homeland. The district I represent includes a large portion of the Border Patrols Tucson sector. through which almost half. that is right. half of all of the Nations illegal immigrants enter into this country. The negative impact that this has on communities in my area is staggering. The impact of environmental degradation. the cost to hospitals. police and sheriffs departments and other public agencies. not to mention the tragic loss of life in Arizona in the desert. as many people who seek to come to the United States for better opportunities perish in the heat of the summer. I am pleased that this conference report provides necessary resources to protect our border. not only an additional $56 million for the Tucson sector for expanding Border Patrol stations. fencing. vehicles. lighting. border roads and sensors. but across our entire border. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule and the underlying bill.