Speech #CREC-2017-08-03-pt1-PgS4800-5_t0

Mr. President, I want to mention one other piece of legislation that was introduced today which we have been working on for a long time-- years, literally, but since the Trump administration came into office, and particularly with Secretary of Homeland Security General Kelly, who has now become the Chief of Staff for the White House. We have introduced something called the Building America's Trust Act, which is border security legislation that increases resources at our borders while boosting trade through ports of entry and strengthens enforcement of existing laws. Earlier this year, several of my colleagues and I went to my home State to tour our southern border, including the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and Del Rio, TX. The reason I was so glad to welcome my colleagues to visit Texas with me and see the borders is because it is a unique part, not only of our State but a unique part of our Nation. Each mile along the border presents its own challenge in terms of what is needed to protect it. On this trip, we spoke most notably with Manny Padilla, chief of the Rio Grande Patrol Sector and commander of the Joint Task Force of the West and South Texas Corridor. Chief Padilla presides over the busiest Border Patrol sector in the United States. He said something then which stuck with me. He pointed out that any border security plan must include a combination of three things, and the way those three things come together may well vary, and will vary, depending on the particular location: The first is physical infrastructure. Here is an example of some of the fencing that exists along the border where the Border Patrol believes it is necessary in order to control the flow of people across the border in a way they can be allowed to do their job. The second is technology--things like this aerostat, with its radar capability. It is literally eyes in the sky, which can allow the Border Patrol to do their job better. Here is another example of some of the ground-based radar which is available. You can imagine, with a 1,200-mile border between Texas and Mexico alone, it is a huge job and a very complex environment. Of course, the third thing, in addition to physical infrastructure and technology, is things like personnel. Literally, we need to make sure we have an adequate number of Border Patrol available to deal with people who are coming across the border in violation of our immigration laws. I believe, until we secure the border and enforce the law, we will never be able to regain the public's confidence, which allows us to do other things we need to do to fix our broken immigration system. That is why we call this bill the Building America's Trust Act. It does these things--secures our borders with expanded resources, enhances ports of entry to increase trade--because it is important to separate the criminal activity from legitimate trade and commerce, which creates 5 million jobs in the United States alone. That is just by our national trade with Mexico. Of course, it strengthens enforcement of our immigration laws. That is why we have gotten support from the National Border Patrol Council, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Southwestern Border Sheriff's Coalition, and the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition as well, and we have had supportive statements by the Fraternal Order of Police and others. I firmly believe that until we accomplish this goal--until we regain the public's confidence that we are actually serious about it and we have a plan to do it--we will not be permitted by our constituents to do the other things we know we need to do to fix our broken immigration system. I know the Presiding Officer was at the White House yesterday with the President, talking about his plan to try to make our legal immigration system more merit-based. This is something we have been trying to do for years now, and I congratulate the Presiding Officer for helping restart that discussion because we need to focus not only on border security and enforcing our laws, we need to think about and talk about what a 21st century immigration system for our country should look like. Should it be based strictly on family relationships or should it be based on some of the attributes of the immigrant which would benefit the United States--people with advanced degrees and capability, people who can come here and help make our country better, not just come here to become dependent on our country. The Building America's Trust Act is a chance for our Democratic colleagues who have said they actually believe in border security to demonstrate their support. In fact, we supported one of the toughest border security packages there is. I believe that is what this represents. It is clear the President has made obvious from the beginning that border security would be a top priority for him. I think it is one of the reasons he was elected on November 8 of last year--because the American people sensed, even if maybe they didn't know the details, that things had gotten out of control, our borders were in chaos, and thousands of people were coming across the border who had no legal right to be here in disregard of our laws. They sensed, in their core, that something was fundamentally wrong--that, yes, we are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws--and we have lost that. This is about regaining trust in government and keeping our commitment to the American people. Over these last few months, I have been working with colleagues, not only in the Senate and the House but with General Kelly in the Department of Homeland Security--now Chief of Staff of the White House--to come up with a strategic plan which addresses various facets of border security and interior enforcement as well. We know about 40 percent of illegal immigration is people who enter the country legally but who overstay their visa and simply melt into the great American landscape. For too long, those on the frontlines have not had the tools they need to get the job done. These are public servants, like our Border Patrol, who risk their lives to keep us safe, and we simply haven't lived up to our commitment to give them the tools and the political will necessary to support them. We know the borders are also cause for our local, State, and Federal officials to have to work together, and it makes sense for us to do more to help them do their job at the State and local level as well. Our bill authorizes additional resources for Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, for agricultural inspectors, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE officers. We also provide for additional immigration judges and Federal prosecutors for State and local law enforcement to aggressively fight drug trafficking, smuggling, and other crimes that, unfortunately, occur along our borders because the organizations--these transnational criminal organizations--really don't care about human life. We saw that recently when a number of immigrants died in the back of a tractor trailer in a parking lot at Walmart in San Antonio, TX. They are a commodity, a way to make money in the eyes of these cartels who care nothing about human life. Drugs, weapons, and other threats to our country are also part of what they move across the border, and that is why border security is so important. Our bill also focuses on criminals, gangs, and repeat offenders who return to the United States in defiance of our laws. We have zero tolerance for those criminals in this bill. We end catch-and-release, and we include Kate's Law, a bill recently passed by the House that increases penalties for those who repeatedly cross our borders illegally. The bill is named after Kate Steinle, who was so tragically murdered in San Francisco. We hold sanctuary cities accountable because no city should be able to defy cooperation with Federal law enforcement officials. We are not asking them to do the Federal Government's job, but they do have an obligation, as we all do as American citizens, to cooperate and work with our law enforcement officials. We impose tough penalties on Federal funds for jurisdictions that fail to comply with lawful Federal immigration enforcement requests. To curb the abuse of visas, our bill utilizes a biometric entry-exit system at ports of entry to identify visa overstays and cut off immigration benefits to those who exploit the system. We also make sure to invest in our ports of entry. These are the ways that people come into our country legally and engage in commerce and trade, which is mutually beneficial. We can't neglect our trading partnerships with our neighbors to the south because we depend on that trade to create and sustain 5 million jobs in the United States alone. The Building America's Trust Act will also help boost the flow of commerce through our ports so that legitimate trade can continue to flourish. This bill also includes a large investment of resources to improve our ports of entry, to help target and isolate illegal immigration and drug trafficking at ports while facilitating increased, legitimate trade and travel. Perhaps most importantly, this bill also requires that the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement officials consult with local officials every step of the way. The people who live in our border communities know best how to help control illegal traffic and illegal activity, but it is the Federal Government's responsibility to step up and help them. They understand the benefits of legitimate travel and trade and traffic, all of which are important parts of a successful border security effort. Border security really is not a one-size-fits-all plan. As Chief Padilla said, it is always a combination of technology, personnel, and tactical infrastructure--wall systems, fences, and the like. We need an approach that will work for each unique area with input and stakeholder consultation at every step to ensure that the right solution is achieved for all involved. As I have said, I am happy to have support for this legislation from several law enforcement organizations. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues in both Chambers, as well as the administration, toward our goal of protecting our Nation and securing our borders. I firmly believe that border security, ultimately, is a matter of political will. This President has the political will, and this Congress should have the political will to get the job done. This was the commitment that he made and that we need to make to the American people and that, I think, informed their vote on November 8, 2016. With this legislation as a guide, we aren't just securing our borders for tomorrow. We are looking ahead and locking in a framework that will exist long after President Trump leaves office. With the Building America's Trust Act, I hope we can do just that and, again, finally regain the public's confidence by earning that confidence and restoring order and lawfulness to our broken immigration system. I yield the floor.