Speech #1090080454

Mr. President. I rise today to introduce my comprehensive immigration reform legislation. This legislative package consists of four bills that deal with national security. employment security. Americas workforce. and bringing accountability to those living here illegally. This package is an enhanced version of immigration reform legislation I introduced in 2004 with former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle. Immigration reform is an urgent national security priority. We cannot continue to defer making tough choices about our nations immigration policy. It is not in our interest to have 8 to 12 million people undocumented and unaccounted for in our country. The American people wont accept immigration reform until they are convinced we are controlling our borders. Congress must reform the patchwork of immigration laws that have created an underground. black market labor force. The first bill is the Strengthening Americas Security Act of 2005. The bill strengthens national security and U.S. borders by assisting law enforcement in their efforts to secure our borders. It will increase the number of Customs and Border Protection officers. require DHS to use updated technology at the border. increase criminal penalties for alien smuggling. document fraud. misuse of social security numbers. gang violence. and drug trafficking at the border. authorize continued funds to reimburse states for the costs of detaining undocumented aliens. and give DHS additional tools to detain and deport undocumented aliens. The second bill. the Employment Verification Act of 2005. requires employers to verify the employment eligibility of their employees. The bill will assist all employers in their effort to hire legal workers by establishing a mandatory electronic worker verification system.