I think it is fairly familiar to the Members. but I think it is always useful to have an understanding about the nature of the challenge we are facing. the dramatic challenge we are facing in terms of our borders. in terms of our national security. and to briefly review for our colleagues what we have tried to do with this legislation. So often during the last days. these debates are focused like a laser on a very specific aspect. and we lost the central thrust and the purpose of this legislation and perhaps even the need for urgent action. There is a need for urgent action. and the need is now. the need is today. the need is tonight because of the kinds of conditions that threaten our national security and result in the exploitation of human beings and even deaths out in the desert and leave many millions of undocumented in fear of their future. and the conditions which threaten to undermine agreements that have been made in the AgJOBS area and the lost opportunities that would result for many of those who might be eligible for the DREAM Act. So I thought I would try to put this into some proportion and take a few moments to review again where we are. I think one of the most dramatic statistics we see. as reflected in this chart. is deaths due to unauthorized border crossings. If you look at the period of the last 5 years. you will see these numbers continue to go up. they continue to escalate. The fact is. there are 425 men. women. and children. including infants. who die every single year on the border.
Keywords matched
border crossing undocumented