Speech #1090171301

I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 6061. entitled the Secure Fence Act. This bill is almost the same bad legislation that was brought before us in the House this summer. but it is even worse because it contains no funding. It ignores real enforcement measures. like hiring more Border Patrol personnel. and instead builds a Berlin Wall on our southern border. I was born and raised in south Texas on the TexasMexico border. We who live and work along the border are acutely aware that the Immigration system is broken and that a complete overhaul is required to restore any semblance of order. So long as employers need workers in this country. and while our immigration systems impede rather than facilitate timely access of willing workers to those opportunities. undocumented immigration will never be controlled. Walls. barriers. and military patrols will only force those immigrants to utilize ever more dangerous routes and increase the number of people who die in search of an opportunity to feed and clothe their families. The answer to this issue is comprehensive immigration reform. Fix immigration systems and you are assured better border security. Trade is the lifeblood of the MexicoU.S. border communities and of this Nation. In the Rio Grande Valley. thousands of people cross back and forth across the border daily to shop. to work. to get medical care. and to go to school.