Speech #1090171373

Mr. Speaker. today I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 6061. the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This bill is not about border security or terrorism prevention. as the name implies. but is rather a gimmick and will not in fact solve our nations border and immigration problems. We need to focus on "smart security" and develop a comprehensive plan. Only then will we truly secure our borders and ensure our safety as Americans. This bill strays far from those priorities and is opposed by almost every reasonable business. labor. and civil liberties advocacy group in the country. The bill before us does not provide any specific dollar amounts to build the mandated fence. and nowhere does the bill even authorize additional Border Patrol. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. or Customs officers needed to secure the border. Blindly erecting a fence. without taking into consideration the needs of the area and the men and women who work on the front lines of our borders is not effective and we can do better. We need to focus on "smart security." and we need to do it now. It is extremely important to know who is entering our country and who is already here. We need to focus on strengthening our borders by improving our surveillance technology. deploying more border patrol agents. and providing them with the materials they need to effectively do their jobs. This is why I am proud to support Mr. Thompsons substitute amendment. The substitute amendment requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop a comprehensive border security strategy by deploying at least 3.000 additional Border Patrol agents and 2.000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at our borders each year for the next four years. The substitute also provides helicopters. portable computers. radio communications and handheld global positioning devices so the agents have all of the resources they need to get the job done. Mr. Thompsons substitute also ends our ineffective "Catch and Release" practice. We need to ensure that we have adequate space in which to house people until we determine who they are and why they are here. It is unacceptable that illegal immigrants have been released after being charged with a crime simply because there is not adequate space in which to detain them. The substitute authorizes 100.000 additional detention bed spaces through FY 2010 to assist with the detention of undocumented individuals. We also need to refocus our efforts on monitoring precisely which materials come through our borders. As the lead Democrat on the Subcommittee for the Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack.