Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stress the need to secure America’s
Borders.
The horrific 9/11 attacks on America taught us that border
security is homeland security. Yet,
just last year, Customs and Border Patrol stopped over 1 million people from
illegally crossing the border. Of that
million people, over 160,000 were from countries other than Mexico including: Afghanistan,
Iran, Iraq, Pakistan
and Saudi Arabia.
And last week, expert witnesses at an International Relations
sub-committee field hearing in Laredo
Texas testified that unlike in years’
past, many illegal immigrants who sneak across the
border are no longer good people in search of honest work. Rather, they are criminals who belong to
violent gangs and drug cartels.
And Reynaldo Garza, the Border Patrol Chief in Laredo, testified that he
worries about the links between drug cartels and terrorists.
Today, hundreds of illegal immigrants will cross our southern
border. Some of them will be criminals,
some gang members. I pray that none are
terrorists. But the truth is that no one
knows. A nation without borders ceases
to be a nation, which is why securing our border must be the first step in any
comprehensive reform plan.
The Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration
Control Act, (H.R. 4437) which I strongly supported, passed the House in
December and should be the model on which immigration reform is based. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
