Speech #1090098837

The question is what kind of resources will be utilized. There are many elements to this bill that we could find common ground on. and those are the technology aspects. I believe there should be more in there to provide for our Border Patrol agents. the equipment. the night goggles. the computers that we have been saying they need over and over again. the helicopters. power boats and training. But that. unfortunately. was not allowed in this legislation. So. Mr. Chairman. as I conclude. might I thank those who have done the heavy lifting. might I thank the work that the Hispanic Caucus has done on behalf of all immigrants or individuals that may be undocumented. I value the fact that we as a Congress have been charged with the responsibility of securing America. Criminalizing undocumented hotel workers and restaurant workers does not do the job. Let us turn this bill back so that we will have an opportunity to work in a bipartisan manner. I rise in support of my Rapid Response Border Protection Amendment. H.R. 4044. to the Border Protection. Antiterrorism. and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. H.R. 4437. and against the underlining bill as it is presently drafted. H.R. 4437 has a substantial number of provisions that would increase border security. but it is lacking in one very important respect. It does not provide the Border Patrol with the equipment and resources that it needs to secure the border. My amendment would address that deficiency. For instance. aircraft and watercraft are invaluable tools for spotting people illegally crossing our borders and for assisting in their apprehension. They also are essential for rescue operations when people crossing the border need emergency assistance. The Secretary of the Homeland Security Department would be required to increase the number of Border Patrol helicopters by at least 100 and to increase the number of Border Patrol powerboats by at least 250. The Border Patrol currently suffers from a severe shortage of serviceable. policetype vehicles. In many locations. agents have to wait for vehicles to be brought in from the field by other agents on the previous shift before they can begin their duties. The Secretary would be required to establish a fleet of such motor vehicles of at least one vehicle per every three Border Patrol agents. The lack of portable computers precludes Border Patrol agents from utilizing biometric databases in the field. This results in inadequate checks being performed before suspecs are released. The Secretary would be required to ensure that each policetype motor vehicle in the Border Patrols fleet is equipped with a portable computer with access to all necessary law enforcement databases. Smugglers and other criminals historically have used the cover of darkness to cross our borders. Although technology that enables the user to see at night has been available for many years. it is not readily available to all of the Border Patrol agents. and the Border Patrol is one of the few law enforcement agencies that conducts most of its operations in remote areas during the hours of darkness. The Secretary would be required to ensure that sufficient quantities of stateoftheart night vision equipment are provided for every Border Patrol agent who works during the hours of darkness. Body armor is a relatively inexpensive piece of protective equipment that has saved the lives of countless law enforcement officers. The Secretary would be required to ensure that every Border Patrol agent is issued highquality body armor that is appropriate for the climate and risks faced by the individual officers. Currently. fewer than 11.000 Border Patrol agents are responsible for patrolling more than 8.000 miles of land and coastal borders. Because of the need to provide continuous. aroundtheclock coverage. no more than 25 percent of those agents are securing our borders at any given time. That averages one Border Patrol agent every 3 miles. A substantial increase in personnel is desperately needed. The Secretary would be required to hire an additional 10.000 agents. Recruitment and retention problems make it difficult to maintain a large force of experienced Border Patrol agents. One of the key difficulties in this regard is the fact that the pay lags behind that of many other law enforcement officers. The amendment would address this problem by requiring the Secretary to raise the base pay for all joumeylevel Border Patrol agents to a GS1 3 level. Nonimmigrant S visas are available for aliens who assist the Government with the investigation or prosecution of a criminal organization or a terrorist organization. The amendment would establish a third category for aliens who assist the United States Government with the investigation or prosecution of a commercial alien smuggling organization or an organization engaged in the sale or production of fraudulent documents to be used for entering or remaining in the United States unlawfully. A protection program would be available for informants who need it.