Speech #1100103914

They cannot afford 60 days In jail where they are not providing for their families. And it is a great incentive for them to decide not to cross the border anymore because if they are going to get put in jail. then they are not going to be able to provide the money to their families that they came across here in the first instance to provide. So those programs have reduced the immigration in those areas dramatically. But we need more detention spaces for this particular kind of detention. Again. this $3 billion will help to provide that. It can help to provide more prosecutors and public defenders and judges because once you have detention. of course. you also may have criminal trials and you may need to have the entire chain of the criminal justice system funded. In addition. this funding that we will be providing in this amendment will help to improve the verification system that employers are required to use. the socalled EVerify system. to make sure it is operating accurately at full capacity. This is particularly important in my State because. frustrated by the lack of action by the Federal Government to have a good system. our State passed a law that will provide serious sanctions on employers who hire illegal immigrants. But they have to rely on the Federal system to make that determination. It is not. right now. in the best of shape. It needs to be improved. The capacity is there. but the ability to determine valid identity Is not. So money in this bill will help to get the Federal system into a position that States could rely on in order to enforce their own State laws against hiring illegal immigrants. So there is much more that this $3 billion provides. But I wanted to thank my colleague. Senator GRAHAM. for his work in making sure. whether it is on the Department of Homeland Security bill or this bill. we make sure. one way or the other. that we will have the funding to continue to work to secure the border and to make sure that we can stop the illegal immigration into this country that has created so many problems for us. I yield the floor.