Speech #1090177584

S. 2611. the Comprehensive lInnigration Reform Act of 2006. would direct the Attorney General. in cooperation with other executive branch officials. to conduct such a study on this question. The study would analyze the construction of a system of physical barriers along the southern international September 28. 2006 CONGRE land and maritime border. including the necessity. feasibility. and impact of such barriers on the surrounding area. Another reason that this bill is misguided is that improving our border security alone will not stem the tide of people who are willing to risk everything to enter this country. According to a recent Cato Institute report. the probability of catching an illegal immigrant has fallen over the past two decades from 33 percent to 5 percent. despite the fact that we have tripled the number of border agents and increased the enforcement budget tenfold. It would be fiscally irresponsible and selfdefeating to devote more and more Federal dollars to border security efforts. like this fence. without also creating a realistic immigration system to allow people who legitimately want to come to this country to go through legal channels to do so. That is why I oppose the House "enforcement only" bill. That is why business groups. labor unions and immigrants rights groups have all come together to demand comprehensive immigration reform. And that is why I oppose this bill. We need a comprehensive. pragmatic approach that not only strengthens border security. but also brings people out of the shadows and ensures that our Government knows who is entering this country for legitimate reasons. so we can focus our efforts on finding those who want to do us harm. Border security alone is not enough. I will vote against cloture on this bill.