Our country has always had a commitment to the process of legal immigration for people who are looking to make a better life for themselves and their families.  When people come here to work and enjoy the fruits of freedom, they are agreeing to abide by our laws.  The very definition of a sovereign nation is a country which controls its own borders.

To better secure our borders, I voted for H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act.   This bill will:

           -Require Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to develop a joint strategic plan that will provide the Border Patrol with military support and increased use of DOD surveillance.

           -Require mandatory detention for all illegal immigrants who are apprehended at U.S. land borders attempting to cross illegally.

           -Crack down on alien gang members and increase penalties for aliens re-entering illegally.

Failure to properly secure our borders costs citizens in many ways - schools become overcrowded, taxes increase, medical resources are stretched too thin - and it dishonors the millions of immigrants who come here legally and follow the rules to gain American citizenship.

While more must be done, such as beginning to address the problem of an estimated 11 million unidentified people in this country illegally, this bill is a step in the right direction.