Speech #1100056998

There was a consensus to do that and a bipartisan effort to do that. and we have dramatically expanded the number of agents on the border. the technology on the border. and the detention bed capability. But we still have a ways to go. Actually. the first or second amendment adoptedit seems like an ion ago. but it was only a week agowas an amendment I offered to this bill which would bring the commitment in numbers in this bill in the area of Border Patrol agents. in the area of detention beds. in the area of electronic fencing and regular fencing along the b~order up to what was the consensus position as to what was needed to secure the border. So this bill now has in it the necessary language. The question is. do we have the capacity to put that in place. But that goes back to the trigger which is in this bill. and the trigger in the bill says. until that is in place. none of the other language can go into force which deals with guest worker and illegal immigrants and how we regularize their status in this country. So I believe that issue has been effectively addressed in this bill. and with the amendment I offered and put in the proper positionalthough more can be done in the area of how one defines " trigger." and certainly there are proposals going around here which will be voted on which I will support that will deal with the fundingit makes sure funding cannot dry up as a result of the annual discretionary process. That has been addressed. The second issue is we have to have an effective guest worker program. and to have an effective guest worker program. we have to address the third issue. And the third issue is that we have enforcement at the employeeemployer meeting place. so the employer is hiring people effectively in this country legally and not able to hire illegal aliens. people who come into this country illegally. Those two issues are intertwined. and the bill does address the issue of employment through strict enforcement and the requirement of identification cards. which is going to be very difficult to accomplish. but again it is a trigger. Nothing in this bill goes forward. as I understand it. until that trigger is met. Second is the guest worker program. There is no way we can have an effective immigration process unless we take some of the pressure off of the fact we have an economy that demands people to work in this economy above and beyond what we have as a citizenry in our country today. There simply is a demand in our Nation for people to come here and work. and it should be done under a guest worker program so that those folks who come here. work. and go back know they are coming here to participate in the worker program. not to be here permanently. That will relieve the pressure at the border significantly if we have that. It is a big part of border security and. of course. is important not only from a standpoint of controlling who comes into the country. but it is critically important from the standpoint of dealing with the threats we face as a country from terrorism. An effective guest worker program is critical. Fortunately. as this bill was originally drafted. it did have such a program.