Immigration and border security is one of the most grave and critical issues facing Americans today. In 2005, Border Patrol Agents made almost 1.2 million arrests of people illegally entering the country. While we must reform the current immigration process, we must start with securing our borders.

Bruce Miller, an aide from my congressional office visited the U.S. - Mexico borders of San Diego, CA, El Paso, TX and Nogales, AZ. The following is his personal account:

At the U.S. - Mexico borders, I witnessed serious consequences of our current inefficient border system. On a typical day, U.S. Customs and Border Protection processes 1,181,605 passengers and pedestrians, including 630,976 aliens coming to the U.S legally for work, business, family visits, shopping, or vacation. The U.S.- Mexican Border is more than 1,900 miles long and although the border agents are doing their best to secure the borders, they need more agents on the ground and better technology to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the border.

Drug smuggling is one of the biggest problems as everyday 2,187 lbs of narcotics are seized at ports of entry and 3,354 lbs are seized between ports of entry. In 2005, Border Patrol Agents seized more than 12,300 pounds of cocaine and more than 1.2 million pounds of marijuana. The total street value of drugs interdicted in 2005 was more than $1.4 billion. There are too many incomplete fences and too many immigrants using fake identification cards.

Illegal immigrants are having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of American citizens who simply wish to reside in a safe neighborhood. The worst part is that local law enforcement and the Bureau Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officials (ICE) are often reluctant to enforce the federal laws that require them to deport illegal aliens.

American taxpayers spend billions on programs within the Department of Homeland Security to deal with illegal immigration. When our borders remain porous and illegal aliens threaten the livelihood and homes of American citizens, it is obvious that taxpayer dollars are being wasted by the government's failure to stop illegal immigration. Congress must demand reforms that will prevent illegal entry into our nation and deport those who illegally reside here. And we should reward those who respect our laws and who have waited patiently for legal entry into our country.

Recently, I supported legislation that will increase the number of border patrol agents and immigration intelligence officers by almost 3,000. It is my hope these additional agents will encourage ICE officials to increase their efforts to detain all illegal aliens, not just the ones they have "time for". I have also voted in favor of legislation introduced by Representative Tancredo that would prevent the use of Federal funds by local governments who adopt sanctuary policies for illegal aliens. The refusal to share information with Federal immigration authorities is unacceptable. We as a society have every right to expect local governments to cooperate in the efforts to secure our borders, not undermine them.

I also realize that more can be done. I support legislation that would authorize the Secretary of Defense to deploy troops to protect the integrity of our borders if it is deemed necessary to respond to a national security threat. I believe this will be an effective measure to curb entry into the United States by terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens. Please rest assured that I will strongly support legislation that allows for common sense methods to stop illegal border crossings and increases our security at home and abroad.