Mr. Speaker. before being elected to represent a border district in Congress. I served for 262 years in the United States Border Patrol. including 13 years as sector chief in McAllen and El Paso. Texas. I have years of experience of patrolling the tough terrain of the U.S.-Mexico border region. supervising thousands of dedicated Border Patrol agents and working to do everything in our power to strengthen Americas borders and to reduce illegal immigration. So I know from firsthand personal experience what works and what doesnt when it comes to border security and to immigration law enforcement. Given my background. Mr. Speaker. I attended many of the hearings on the border security and immigration that were called by the majority this summer. along with my Republican colleagues. It is obvious from the bill before us today. however. that though the Republicans held these hearings. they did not actually do very much listening. Rather than charging our already overburdened local law enforcement agencies with enforcing immigration law. which is. I might point out. a Federal responsibility. we need to give the Department of Homeland Security the resources that they need to do their job. With this motion to recommit. we help rectify the failure of the Republican leadership to fulfill the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. which. by the way. Mr. Speaker. is 5 years overdue. Specifically. over the next 4 years. we would authorize a total of 8.000 new Border Patrol immigration agents. 1.000 additional immigration detention officers. 1.000 more U.S. marshals and 100.000 new detention beds. The idea that we have here. Mr. Speaker. is simple. If we are really serious about helping to stop illegal immigration. we have to give the Department of Homeland Security the personnel and the detention space that they so desperately need today. Unfortunately. Mr.
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border security illegal immigration Border Patrol immigration