Speech #1090100535

Mr. Chairman. I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4437. the Border Protection. Antiterrorism. and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The bill before us today is an unprecedented assault on both documented and undocumented immigrants. It creates policies that are burdensome and that threaten those legitimately seeking asylum. It also creates new burdens on business. For example. the bill requires all employers to verify within two years that all of their new hires are in the U.S. legally. Those employers would have to verify the immigration status of all employees within six years. Not only is it extremely discriminatory to question the legal status of every new employee. this verification system also places an extremely unreasonable burden on the private sectorboth large and small businesses. Instead of creating a new level of bureaucracy for our business owners to have to follow. we just should enforce the laws that we already have in place. The bill also expands mandatory detention of immigrants. including women and children who come to the United States seeking asylum. Some of these people have been subject to crimes inconceivable to most Americans. and could be subject to even more egregious violations should they be denied asylum. We should not pass legislation that prevents refugees and others seeking persecution from finding safety in our country. The bill also includes a provision requiring the construction of security fencing along portions of our southem border that have high rates of illegal border crossing. with one of these sections being in my home state of New Mexico. This provision alone creates a false sense of security. Building this fence will not stop the flow of undocumented immigrants into this countryit will only force them to take another route. Additionally. we are not in a position to know what the environmental impact would be on a project of this size. It could severely affect those millions of acres of land surrounding the border. as well as the wildlife living upon it. This bill misses the mark completely. by its arbitrary and burdensome provisions. We all agree that we need to reform our immigration system. However. Congress missed an opportunity to pass comprehensive immigration reform.