Congressman Edward Royce One Minute Speech
Washington,
Jul 11, 2006 -
Mr. Speaker, the Subcommittee on International Terrorism that I chair held
two field hearings last week, one in San Diego
and one in Laredo, Texas, on border vulnerabilities and
international terrorism.
The unfortunate fact is that we live in a time when
terrorists want to hit us as hard as they can. And it is elementary that to
defend ourselves against these determined and resourceful enemies, our border
must be secure or, as the Border Patrol says, ``We must have operational control
of the border.'' We don't have that right now, and we don't have that despite a
tenfold increase in what Republicans have done to fund homeland security.
But we need border fencing. And in Laredo, Texas,
sheriffs told us of drug cartels and smuggling rings increasingly well equipped
and more brazen than ever in attacking law enforcement officials. The Border
Patrol warns of potential terrorists employing these networks to enter our
country. Last year, it apprehended illegal border crossers from many countries
designated state sponsors of terrorism or countries where terrorist
organizations are active.
The sheriffs we heard from strongly seconded the Border
Patrol's concerns about terrorists crossing our porous borders.
Colleagues, immigration reform must be national security
reform.
