Posted on 11/16/2005 7:02:05 AM PST by mdittmar
House Republicans formally introduced two border security and immigration enforcement bills this week, both intended to fix what critics call a broken system.
Supporters of H.R. 4313 (the True Enforcement and Border Security Act of 2005) said it will "separate those in Congress who pay lip service to controlling our borders and protecting homeland security, and those who are prepared to address this national crisis in a meaningful way."
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) sponsored the "comprehensive" bill, which was formally introduced on Tuesday.
The legislation would:
-- Create a security fence from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico to prevent illegal crossings;
-- Deny benefits to illegal aliens, including automatic citizenship for their U.S.-born children.
-- Encourage states and local authorities to enforce immigration laws, by making federal relief conditional on how well they cooperate in enforcing immigration law;
-- Require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a computerized entry-exit system;
-- Authorize thousands of new Border Patrol officers, immigration investigators, attorneys, and immigration judges;
-- Increase penalties and prevent employers from hiring illegal aliens through an improved Social Security identification card and verification system;
-- Prevent illegal aliens from claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit and collecting Social Security;
-- Increase penalties for forging immigration and identity documents, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, and alien smuggling.
Supporters of the bill said it eliminates the incentives and loopholes that have allowed an estimated 11 million people to settle illegally in the United States.
"Mass illegal immigration is a very solvable problem. What has been lacking until now is the political will to set and enforce policies that prevent businesses from profiting from illegal aliens and convince the aliens that the United States no longer will put up with their illegal presence," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
FAIR commended Reps. Hunter and Goode for their "courageous leadership" on border and immigration issues.
"Support for this bill will be the litmus test for any member of Congress who claims to be serious about regaining control of our borders," Stein said. "Those who are prepared to end the rewards for breaking our immigration laws and provide the needed tools for enforcement will back this legislation."
H.R. 4312
A second bill, The Border Security and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005, was formally introduced Monday night by Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
H.R. 4312 also would boost security along America's borders and ensure the removal of all aliens who attempt to enter the United States illegally.
"The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th made it clear that our nation must be more aggressive in preventing terrorists from entering the United States," King said.
"This bill recognizes the need to bolster our border security capabilities by authorizing more funding for Border Patrol agents, utilizing physical barriers and state-of-the-art technologies, and promoting international policies that will help deter illegal immigration and protect valid claims of asylum."
The main provisions of the Border Security and Terrorism Prevention Act include:
-- Tighter control of borders and ports (enhanced Border Patrol operations, including military support; physical barriers, state-of-the-art technology; more port-of-entry inspectors);
-- Elimination of the "catch and release" practice, including mandatory detention of aliens who cross illegally;
-- Streamlining operations within the Homeland Security Department's border security agencies;
-- Promoting both international and domestic policies that will deter further illegal entry into the United States.
"The so-called 'catch and release' practice in particular represents a very real danger to our homeland security efforts," King said.
"This year alone, approximately 115,000 illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico have been apprehended by the Border Patrol, only to be released due to a lack of detention space. That includes foreign nationals from all over the globe, including the Middle East. This practice must come to an end," King said.
The House Committee on Homeland Security will begin marking up H.R. 4312 on Wednesday.
Where are the provisions to boot out the illegals that are already here?
Hunter/Goode will never pass, but if it does, we will see Jorge's first veto.
with the lovers of our nation in the senate,
I have to believe it will never make it to
Jorge's desk.
No mention of sending back any of the millions already here, though. I kinda like the idea of sending them back to the wrong countries. You know, send the Guatamalans to Nicarauga, the Mexicans to Honduras, etc.
You are so right, Jorge Arbusto will veto this if it ever gets to his desk.
Senator Specter's draft emphasizes bolstering border security and enforcement of immigration law... would require illegal immigrants to return to their home countries before applying for re-entry as temporary workers... would also require them to leave again after a maximum of six years.
Aides said Specter's draft served as a marker to ensure that his committee would play a role in shaping any legislation. By starting the debate, Specter has made it harder for Senate leaders to take up on the floor a more restrictive immigration bill that might be passed by the House, where conservative opponents of the president's proposal have a stronger hand.
The problem I have with making Mexican workers return home to be guest workers is that very few will actually do so- they will just keep working illegally here. And that means that yet MORE Mexicans will come over here to fill the guest worker slots. We will have a net gain of Mexicans in the US as a result of this plan.
Yep, but Congress and the administration do not want to address that problem. Even allowing them to register as "guest workers" from here doesn't mean the majority of them will do so. They are probably more valuable to their employers if they stay illegal.
They also don't address the problem of the workers' families. A true guest worker should be temporary and not be allowed to have any family members coming along for the ride.
Then there is the problem of anchor babies born to guest workers. Hell, it's all a mess from so many years of refusing to deal with illegal immigration.
I agree. Where is the provision to strip the last 20 years of anchor babies of their citizenship??????????
How about just sending the whole bunch of them to Iraq?
The bill is silent on the millions of illegals that are already here because there are already excellent laws on the books to deal with them. All that is needed is more enforcement. Towards that end, the TRUE Act provides for: lots more interior agents, lots more detention beds, lots more immigration judges and an end to catch and release. It also provides for much greater cooperation with local law enforcement including reimbursing them for detaining illegals. All of this will greatly expedite the deportation process.
But nobody realistically believes we will round up eleven (or twenty five) million illegals. Instead, the idea is to get them to self-deport in the same way they originally came: on their own two feet at their own expense. Towards that end, the bill does a couple of very important things. First, it ends birthright citizenship for anchor babies. This takes away the hope that eventually the child will sponsor the illegal parents for citizenship. It also takes away the welfare meal ticket because if these babies are not citizens their parents can't collect benefits on their behalf. Secondly, it also provides for improved and MANDATORY social security card verification tied to a database. Coupled with increased employer fines and work site enforcement, this will make it much harder for employers to claim they didn't know the documents were fake. If there are no jobs, no welfare, and no hope of eventual citizenship the illegals will have very little reason to stay.
It took years for the problem to get this bad and it will take a few years to straighten things out. The key is to reverse the flow.
Laws that mention the illegals that are already here will almost always do so in the context of a shamnesty. We will be told these are "comprehensive" solutions. They will give them the right to stay for a few years and then supposedly they will be made to leave. Of course 6 years from now, they will have 5 new anchor babies and be home owners and other "deep roots" in America. Their children will have never seen their home country. There will be a huge push to allow them to "adjust their status". There is nothing more permanent then a guestworker.
There are some very good provisions in the first bill that will do just that: (1) Getting local law enforcement involved in apprehending illegals, (2) enforcing penalties against employers that hire illegals, (3) increasing and enforcing penalties against forging SS Cards etc.
The majority of the illegals will deport themselves if they can't find an employer that will take the risk of hiring them. Also, if the local police are hasseling them all the time they will realize that the jig is up and they will go back to Mexico.
ping
A second bill, The Border Security and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2005, was formally introduced Monday night by Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Beware of this bill. It is a definite weak sister and will have the support of El Presidente Jorge.
The plan is to push a weak enforcement bill in the House. And then push a Guestworker Shamnesty in the Senate. They will then put them together in the Joint House Senate Reconciliation Committee and we will be told that to get some enforcement we have to support the "Grand Compromise".
After that, the plan is to completely ignore the enforcement parts of the bill and implement the Shamnesty just like they did it in 1986.
This will be tricky because bills can't modify the Constitution, and this right comes directly from the Ammendments.
Specter's mitts on ANY legislation should be viewed with extreme suspicion. RINOs are not to be trusted.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
The final bill, if and when it survives house/senate conference, will be so watered down that he will sign it. This President cares not a whit about our country's border security or sovereignty.
these congress critters are my new best friends
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