Speech #1090171336

The citizens I represent who live on the southern edge of the country live in the very area that this wall would be built. Those who I represent that live hundreds of miles away are recognizing that we shouldnt be punished by posturing politicians high on the prospects of stirring up fear thousands of miles away with people who have never been to our Texas border. Rather our entire country. all of our families. will be safer if we have a plan for enhancing border security enforcement. as well as for overhauling our immigration system. One of the biggest wrongs committed in this round of hearings. this dog and pony show that House Republicans have taken around the country. is to make an attempt to confuse the violence associated with drug cartels along our border with immigrants coming here seeking a better future. the same kinds of immigrants that came here in previous centuries looking for a better life in America. The two are separate. except to the extent that enforcement policy only drives some seeking a better life to some of the gangs that are also responsible for drug violence. Similarly. the attempt to confuse our people and make them think that Osama bin Laden is headed north in a sombrero and that we face a great invasion of terrorists across the Rio Grande is also appealing to fear and the unknown rather than appealing to the reality of how we secure our borders. 0] 1430 Many Americans have a legitimate concern for securing our borders. In some areas. it may be that limited use of walls and certainly much broader use of our Border Patrol will provide part of that solution. But without the comprehensive approach that we so desperately need. we will not have solved the problem of immigration. of its contribution to our economy. and of the concerns it raises for some of our border communities. I salute the gentleman from Mississippi for his leadership on this matter. and I believe that next year. when we have a more responsive Congress that cares about placing a priority on the real problems that affect American families. we may be able to finally move toward a comprehensive immigration approach. and not just a series of campaign speeches by people who want to distort and who want to shift the focus of debate from the failures that they have been responsible for these many years in the House of Representatives.