President. I rise today to discuss the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and the issue of securing our northern border. Without question. securing the border is our most vital need in dealing with illegal immigrants and as it stands. our borders lay vulnerable to not only an influx of illegal immigrants but also transportation of dangerous materials. The facts are cleareach year over I million unauthorized aliens are interdicted entering the country mostly on the southwest border. Testimony by the Border Patrol union chief places the estimate of illegal entrants not interdicted by Border Patrol to be two times those actually caught. Simply put. the Border Patrol is overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the traffic and it is time to take action. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to achieve operational control over all U.S. international land and maritime borders within 18 months of its enactment. Additionally. the bill authorizes 700 miles of doublelayered fencing at specified locations along the almost 2.000mile southwest U.S. international border with Mexico. This bill also takes the right approach in terms of northern border security. The legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a study on the feasibility of a state oftheart infrastructure security system along the northern international land and maritime border of the United States. The study shall include the necessity of implementing such a system. the feasibility of implementing such a system and the economic impact implementing such a system will have along the northern border.
Keywords matched
illegal immigrants border security Border Patrol