Speech #1090119667

Mr. President. I come to the floor this afternoon to participate in what I believe is a fundamentally important. if not historical. debate about national security and border control and immigration and local law enforcement. of a magnitude and an importance that this country has not seen in a long while. This afternoon. I want to focus on border control because border control is synonymous with national security. If there is one responsibility our Government hasit is. in fact. a constitutional responsibilityit is that of national security. It is crucial. for observers. citizens. listening in. watching. trying to understand this debateand oftentimes frustrated by itto understand that while there are many contentious issues that will be discussed and debated over the course of the remainder of today and tomorrow and next weekand that the news media may well focus on only segments of it. attempting to dramatize it. attempting to suggest there are great divisions amongst Members of the Senate and the Congress as a whole. and the citizens as a wholeCongress will start and end with legislation that serves. first and foremost. the national security interests of our country. The bill that is now before us includes provisions that are unique and important and truly address those kinds of concerns that Americans have been speaking out about ever since 9/11. ever since we were thrust upon the issue of immigration and a reality that we had anywhere from 8 to 12 million foreign nationals. undocumented people within our country. and that some of them. while but a few. were intent on doing us harm. were intent on attacking our citizens and not here to work and to benefit themselves and their families. So it is appropriate that we start this discussion by looking at a critical element of national security. and that is simply border control. I must tell my colleagues. that is as difficult. if not more difficult than attempting to address. understand. and identify some 11plus million undocumented foreign nationals who are now in our country. Why? Because we have phenomenal borders.