Speech #1090173498

Mr. Speaker. it is deeply offensive for this House to continue on a piecemeal approach to the border security and immigration problem. The fact is this Congress has not done any heavy lifting to effectively solve our border security crisis. Thats an awful record for the majority party to carry into the election season. so we are forced to deal again with redundant legislation so the majority party can seem to be accomplishing something. But we arent accomplishing a single thing. What were doing todayin all these billsis blowing more hot air at voters who are angry that we say were doing things to improve our border securitybut we never pay for them. Each year since 2001. Democrats have tried to add amendments to defense. homeland security. and emergency supplemental appropriations bills. Not a single one was passedif they were. wed have 6.600 more Border Patrol agents. 14.000 more detention beds. and 2.700 more immigration agents. On the border. our not funding our promises brings local law enforcement a very large billyet another unfunded mandate. When Border Patrol finds an immigrant lawbreakermostly small drug possessionsthey take them to the local jail where the local taxpayers foot the bill to hold them. The same local taxpayers then have to pay for the prosecutors and there arent enough judges. This is a cycle that wont end.