Speech #1100058142

This bill mandates that all grant and contract funds be awarded through full and open competitive processes except when other funding distribution mechanisms are required by statute. This approach creates a level playing field and also ensures that there are no congressional or administration earmarks in this bill. In addition. the bill addresses a major immigration vulnerability that exists today. It requires that ICE contact correctional facilities throughout the U.S. on a monthly basis to identify incarcerated immigrants who are subject to deportation. Although ICE deports some number of these individuals now. it is not systematically identifying and deporting them. There Is simply no excuse for failing to identify every deportable alien and deporting them immediately upon their release from prison. These are undocumented individuals who have served time in jail for committing crimes. and we are now. unfortunately. releasing them all too often back into the population. So asking prisons for information about these individuals so they can be deported should be among the first priorities in our illegal immigration enforcement strategy. This bill provides the direction and the funding to ICE to make this happen. The bill funds the Secure Border Initiative at the requested level of $1 billion. while requiring the Department to clearly justify how it plans to use these funds to achieve operational control of our borders.