September 13, 2006

Pryce: Border Security is Missing
Piece to Homeland Security Puzzle

Washington, DC– Today, Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Columbus) released the following statement on the imperatives of immigration reform to securing our homeland:

“As we sit today, five years and two days removed from the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we are a safer nation, having successfully and fundamentally overhauled our nation’s ability to thwart a future attack. We created the Department of Homeland Security to place terrorist-fighting agencies under one roof. We have removed illogical barriers that prevented federal law enforcement agencies from sharing information with intelligence agencies, and spent billions to fortify the security of our sea ports and airports. And all the while, our armed forces have aggressively and successfully prosecuted the War on Terror, dismantling terrorist operations in the Middle East before they can inflict harm here.”

“However, until we are able to secure our nation’s borders from the endless onslaught of illegal immigration, our nation remains at risk. Border security is the linchpin to national security and homeland security, and without it, terrorists will continue to live amongst us as they plan their next attack on America, and freely enter our nation to carry out their plots.”

“I am committed to securing our nation’s borders and restoring respect for our laws. And I will not compromise on these fundamentally important principles for political expediency by supporting the ill-conceived, Democrat-crafted provisions within the Senate bill. If we can stop the hemorrhaging at our borders today, we can deliberatively and thoughtfully consider a long-term solution for our nation’s immigration policy tomorrow.”

In December, the House passed H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The bill secures our borders and provides additional resources to federal and state authorities to strengthen border patrol efforts; strengthens enforcement and stiffens penalties for illegal immigrants who break our immigration laws; and enforces the law on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Pryce opposes provisions in the Senate bill that:

• Grant Social Security benefits to illegal aliens for the time they worked in the United States illegally;
• Allow illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition at local colleges and universities;
• Prohibit local law enforcement from detaining illegal aliens for civil violations;
• Require that the United States consult with Mexico before constructing a border fence;
• Move illegal immigrants to the front line for citizenship, bypassing those law abiding applicants who waited in line in their home countries for citizenship; and
• Require employers to pay federally-determined prevailing wages solely to guest construction workers, even if they aren’t participating in a federal project. Under this provision, some employers would be forced to pay guest-workers more than Americans doing the exact same job in the exact same city.