Senator Hutchison -- Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2005
CONTACT: Chris Paulitz

SENATOR HUTCHISON SAYS COMMITMENT OF
"MINUTEMAN PROJECT" SHOWS NEED FOR MORE BORDER PATROL

WASHINGTON, DC -- Late Thursday night on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, spoke on the Congressional Budget Resolution and the need to appropriate necessary funds for the U.S. Border Patrol. During her speech, she spoke on the Minuteman Project, a group of concerned Americans who are monitoring the southwestern border for illegal activity. She said the commitment of the group shows a need for more border patrol agents. A rough transcript of her floor speech follows:

“MR. PRESIDENT, I WANT TO MENTION ONE AREA WHERE THE BUDGET CAME DOWN FROM WHAT THE SENATE WANTED IT TO DO, AND THAT IS IN THE AREA OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE FUNCTION. AND THAT IS THE AREA WHERE BORDER PATROL LIES.

“THE SENATE PASSED $42 BILLION TO COVER THE COSTS OF MORE BORDER PATROL AGENTS AND OTHER ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE FUNCTIONS. THE CONFERENCE REPORT IS $41 BILLION. IT'S $1 BILLION LESS. NOW, I JUST WANT TO LAY DOWN A MARKER HERE BECAUSE IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WHEN THIS BUDGET GOES TO THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, THAT THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE SET ASIDE MONEY FOR MORE BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAN THE 210 [AGENTS] THAT WERE IN THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET, SO THAT WE CAN BEEF UP OUR BORDERS AGAINST ILLEGAL INTRUDERS.

“MR. PRESIDENT, THIS IS NOT A MATTER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS COMING HERE TO WORK, ALTHOUGH THAT IS A MAJOR ISSUE IN THIS COUNTRY. IT IS A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY. WE HAVE SEEN SOME VERY BRAVE PEOPLE SITTING ON THE BORDER OF ARIZONA AND MEXICO IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT I THINK THESE PEOPLE HAVE SHOWN A COMMITMENT AND A CARING THAT SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED HERE IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE, THAT THEY WOULD CARE ENOUGH TO REALIZE THAT 10,000 PEOPLE, IT IS ESTIMATED, ARE COMING ACROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY EVERY DAY INTO OUR COUNTRY AND WE ARE SHORT OF BORDER PATROL AGENTS. THEY ARE GOING OUT THERE AND SITTING A QUARTER OF A MILE APART TO TRY TO MONITOR AND TELL THE BORDER PATROL WHEN THEY SEE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY. THERE HAS BEEN NO VIOLENCE, AND IT HAS MADE A HUGE IMPACT. IT'S MADE AN IMPACT ON THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL CROSSINGS, AND IT HAS CERTAINLY MADE AN IMPACT ON THIS COUNTRY TO SEE THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE VOLUNTEERING THEIR EFFORTS TO CARE ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE BORDERS OF OUR COUNTRY.

“BUT IT IS NOT THOSE VOLUNTEERS' RESPONSIBILITY. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO PATROL OUR BORDERS AND TO ASSURE THAT AMERICANS ARE SAFE FROM ILLEGAL INTRUDERS. AND, MR. PRESIDENT, WE'RE NOT DOING THE JOB.

“WE'RE NOT DOING THE JOB WHEN THE F.B.I. DIRECTOR TELLS A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE THAT PEOPLE FROM COUNTRIES WITH TIES TO AL QAEDA ARE CROSSING INTO THE UNITED STATES THROUGH THE BORDER WITH MEXICO. IT IS A SECURITY THREAT, AND IT IS A HOMELAND SECURITY THREAT. NOW, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION THAT IS WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH CONGRESS RIGHT NOW IS GOING TO HAVE SOME HELP IN THE BORDER PATROL AREA. AND I KNOW THAT THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HOMELAND SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE, THE SENATOR FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE, IS VERY AWARE AND HAS VISITED THE BORDER HIMSELF TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEMS ARE. SO I DO HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT IN THE APPROPRIATION WE WILL ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. AND, MR. PRESIDENT, WE MUST. WE MUST CONTROL OUR BORDERS.

“AT A TIME WHEN WE KNOW WE ARE IN A WAR AGAINST TERRORISM,. 97% OF THE ILLEGAL INTRUDERS ARE COMING IN THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST BORDER. BUT THIS IS A NATIONAL ISSUE, MR. PRESIDENT. THESE PEOPLE DO NOT STOP IN TEXAS AND ARIZONA AND CALIFORNIA AND NEW MEXICO. THEY GO ALL THROUGH OUR COUNTRY. IT IS ESTIMATED BY "TIME" MAGAZINE THAT THERE ARE 15 MILLION ILLEGAL PEOPLE IN OUR COUNTRY, AND IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT IT'S REALLY EVEN MORE, PROBABLY 20 MILLION.

“SINCE 2001, 1,300 AGENTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE FORCE, BUT THIS IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO PATROL 6,900 MILES OF BORDER BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES. AND THE ISSUE THAT HAS RECENTLY STARTED BEING OBSERVED IS THE ALIENS FROM COUNTRIES OTHER THAN MEXICO WHO ARE CROSSING THE BORDER THROUGH MEXICO, AND BECAUSE OF A LACK OF RESOURCES WE ARE FORCED TO RELEASE THEM PRACTICALLY IMMEDIATELY.

“THIS AGAIN, I HOPE, IS GOING TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION. THE COMMISSIONER OF U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION RECENTLY SAID, I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH AGENTS -- WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH AGENTS. WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH TECHNOLOGY TO GIVE THE SECURITY WE NEED. WE NEED MORE AGENTS AND WE NEED TO DO A SMARTER AND BETTER JOB.”