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Securing America’s Borders, Securing America's Future
May 22, 2006
America's immigration policies have been in the news quite a bit recently. And rightly so--who is traveling across our borders and why they are doing so is as important as any issue we currently face. It is a complicated issue, with far reaching implications that will impact our national security, our economy, and our culture. So I was glad to see the President insert himself into this debate and clearly outline where he would like to lead our nation as we move towards immigration reform. While we have some common areas of agreement, there are some specific aspects of the President’s plan that give me cause for concern. I look forward to the chance to work with my Senate colleagues to address these areas of concern as the Senate considers this legislation.
First, the President is absolutely correct when he says that securing our borders is and must be our first priority. It is, as he called it, “a basic responsibility of a sovereign nation.” An immigration policy that does not control who is entering our nation is not an immigration policy at all. The best way we can do this is by strengthening our Border Patrol, both through greater numbers and technological advancements. Yes, our borders are vast, but with the technology available today, an increase of physical barriers, and an influx of Border Patrol agents to supplement those already performing admirably in these difficult times, a secure, controlled border is very much within our reach. One of the things that Secretary Chertoff said the Department of Homeland Security needed was strategic physical barriers -- including a fence. This request was included in an amendment that I sponsored with Senator Jeff Sessions that received overwhelming bipartisan support. A proposal that seeks to responsibly, yet dramatically, increase the levels at which we fund our border security--through the Border Patrol and local and state law enforcement--will have my full support.
But the President is also right in saying that such enhancement will not occur overnight. It will take time to train new agents and get new technology in place. At the same time, the need for us to beef up border security is immediate. We have had a bill before the Senate that essentially calls for amnesty, a bill that is telling people in other nations to come to the United States illegally now because if they do, they can work their way towards citizenship. It is this concern that caused me to support an amendment to require that the President certify that the border security measures have “been fully completed and are operational,” before granting legal status to any alien. I was disappointed that 55 of my colleagues opposed that provision.
We’ve had a rush of illegal immigrants coming across the border in the last few months, and the only way to quickly and effectively secure our borders in the short term is to deploy the National Guard in support of the Department of Homeland Security, an action the President has elected to take. It is now the responsibility of Congress to ensure that our Guardsmen are put in a position to succeed, whether by giving them the necessary equipment and funding or making sure that they have adequate time to learn and perform their duties. A tour that lasts two or three weeks does not seem sufficient--not for the Guardsmen or for our border security.
President Bush also reiterated his support for a temporary worker program. I support a temporary worker program, as long as it truly is temporary and we demonstrate to the American public that our borders are secure. Amongst American businesses there is demand for foreign workers, and we should make it possible to fulfill this demand lawfully where there is not a domestic worker available. But this does not, in any way, mean that I am in favor of amnesty. Quite the opposite is true. Those who have entered this country illegally must return to their native land and move through the legal process just like everyone else. The idea that those who have been here illegally for an arbitrary number of years--a number that is, frankly, undeterminable as their time here is by nature undocumented--should be able to stay in America simply by paying back taxes is an insult to all those who have waited, patiently and lawfully, for their chance to come here and pursue the American dream. For these reasons I was disappointed that 58 of my colleagues rejected a reasonable amendment to ensure that the temporary worker program was actually temporary and not a shortcut to legalization or citizenship.
Yes, America is a nation of immigrants, a nation that derives much of our strength from the “great American tradition of the melting pot.” But the immigrants that have contributed so much to the character of our nation, immigrants like my father and grandfather, came here legally. They did what America required of them at the time, by standing in line at Ellis Island, by waiting years for a visa slot, or by any of the variety of legal ways that we have opened America’s doors to foreigners for centuries. We devalue the sacrifices and hardships of those immigrants if we fail to ask the same of today's immigrants. Likewise, we further devalue their sacrifices and undermine their successes if we fail to protect the nation they helped to build. That means securing our borders--all of our borders--and securing them now.
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