Speech #1090138994

I would also like to read portions of a letter written to me earlier this month by the New Mexico Districts Chief Judge. Martha Vazquez. About the Senates immigration bill. Judge Vazquez wrote: As with past legislation aimed at improving border security. this bill will significantly increase the number of felony immigration and drug cases in the federal courts in districts on the southwest border. The bill. in recognition of this fact. provides funding for at least 20 additional fulltime Administrative Immigration Judges. The bill. however. inexplicably fails to provide funding for additional Article III judges despite the fact that Article III judges will be as burdened. if not more. by the increased caseload that will result from the bills implementation . . . In fiscal year 1997. there were 240 immigration felony filings in the District of New Mexico. By fiscal year 2005. the number of immigration filings increased to 1.826. which is an increase of 661 percent 52. Pt. 7 9575 ... Increasing the number of immigration judges will do nothing to reduce the increasing caseload in the border states federal courts. Judge Vazquez was appointed to the Federal bench by President Clinton. Clearly this is not a partisan issue. as Judge Vazquez and I agree that the Senates failure to address the needs of our border district courts in inexplicable.