FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2006

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Pelosi: Speaker’s Visit to Border Underscores Republican Failure to Protect American People

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this morning on the announcement of Speaker Hastert’s planned trip today to the border in Arizona and Texas:

“Speaker Hastert’s sight seeing excursion to the border allows him to see firsthand the Republicans’ miserable failure in securing our borders.  He has to answer to the American people:  where has he been the last five years while the Republican Congress failed to secure our borders and repeatedly underfunded the border patrol?

“Seven times over the last four and a half years, House Republicans rejected Democratic amendments to increase resources.  Had the Speaker not asked Republicans to repeatedly reject these amendments, there would be 6,600 more Border Patrol agents, 14,000 more detention beds, and 2,700 more immigration agents than there are now.

“The Speaker’s visit only underscores that the President and the Republican Congress have miserably failed their obligation to protect the American people at our borders.  It is unacceptable that nearly five years since 9/11 our nation’s borders remain in a perilous state of insecurity.

“The American people and Democrats support strong border enforcement and enforcing immigration laws.  Democrats propose a New Direction with strong border security, effective law enforcement, comprehensive immigration reform, and the full implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations.”

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Border Security/Immigration Enforcement Facts

• In the Intelligence Reform (or 9/11) Act of 2004, Congress authorized 2,000 additional Border Patrol agents, 8,000 additional detention beds and 800 additional immigration agents per year from fiscal year 2006 through fiscal year 2010.  However,  Republicans are currently 800 Border Patrol agents, 5,000 detention beds, and nearly 500 immigration agents short of the promises they made in the 9/11 Act. 

• Seven times over the last four and a half years, Democrats have offered amendments to increase border security resources.  If these Democratic amendments had been adopted, there would be 6,600 more Border Patrol agents, 14,000 more detention beds, and 2,700 more immigration agents along our borders than now exist.  Each time, these efforts have been rejected by the Republican majority.

• Between 1999 and 2004, worksite immigration enforcement operations against companies were scaled back 99 percent by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which subsequently was merged into the Department of Homeland Security.  In 1999, the United States initiated fines against 417 companies.  In 2004, it issued fine notices to only three.

• Under President Bush, the number of apprehensions at the border has declined by 31 percent – from an average of 1.5 million apprehensions per year between fiscal years 1996 and 2000, compared to an average of 1 million apprehensions between fiscal years 2001 and 2004.

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi