As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Immigration Reform Caucus, I am extremely concerned about illegal immigration and its impact on national security and the economy.
Vulnerable borders and porous ports of entry leave our country susceptible to terrorist attacks and illegal trafficking. But, while securing our borders is essential to protecting our homeland security, there is no substitute for enforcement of our immigrations laws. To that end, I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens. We are a nation of laws, and we must not reward those that broke our laws and entered this country illegally with the benefits of citizenship.
In addition to working hard to secure our borders and enforce our immigration laws during the 111th Congress, I will continue to support legislation (as I have in the last two congresses) that:
· denies birthright citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants on U.S. soil;
- forces the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fully implement a computerized entry-exit system that will allow us to track who is crossing our borders;
- prohibits eligibility for public benefits to illegal immigrants, including welfare payments and Social Security; and
- makes English our national language.
Border Security
When it comes to combating illegal immigration, border security must be our first priority. Progress has been made. Since the creation of DHS in 2003, funding for DHS’s Customs and Border Protection agency, the main agency charged with securing the border, has increased by 115% (from $5.24 billion to $11.27 billion) and the Border Patrol has almost doubled, increasing from approximately 9,000 agents in 2001 to more than 17,000 agents today. However, while the government has made strides to enhance U.S. border security, more must be done.
I am particularly concerned about the slow pace of construction of a pedestrian fence along our southern border with Mexico. As you may know, the 109th Congress mandated construction of 700 miles of fence and directed DHS to complete 370 of those miles by the end of 2008. While DHS stated it planned to complete 370 miles of pedestrian fencing along the southwest border by the end of calendar year 2008, as of October 10, 2008 only 209.8 miles of fence had been built. The construction delays result in part from property rights, land acquisition issues and environmental concerns raised by individuals and local governments as well as some cost-overruns.
I will continue to closely monitor this crucial border security initiative.
Enforcement
We must do a better job of enforcing our immigration laws. To do so, we must ensure that our law enforcement agencies, federal, State and local, have the resources they need to enforce immigration laws to include their efforts to remove illegal aliens from the U.S., target criminal and fugitive aliens and dismantle the infrastructure that supports illegal immigration, e.g. fraudulent document vendors and criminal enterprises engaged in immigration benefit fraud. Additionally we must continue to grow the Border Patrol in order to prevent illegal immigration in the first place.
I remain strong in my support of legislation to penalize “sanctuary” cities that flout our immigration laws. Local entities that brazenly ignore federal laws should receive no benefits from the federal government.
Birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens
I am opposed to birthright citizenship for illegal aliens. To this end, I was a co-sponsor of H.R. 1940, the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2007. This legislation would allow only children born of a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident alien or an alien performing active service in the armed forces to be eligible for citizenship.
English as a national language
Throughout our nation’s history, English has been a unifying force amongst a diverse group of people. In the 110th Congress, I was proud to support H.R. 997, the English Unity Act of 2007 and H.R. 769, the National Language Act of 2007, which make English the national language of the United States and the national language of the government, including the ballot box.
Social Security benefits to illegal aliens
Individuals should not accrue Social Security benefits for work performed while in this country illegally. During the 109th Congress, I co-sponsored H.R. 4313, the TRUE Enforcement and Border Security Act of 2006 that would have prevented aliens from gaining eligibility for Social Security benefits based on unauthorized work in the United States. I will continue to support legislation that prohibits the distribution of Social Security benefits for work done while a person was residing in this country illegally.
Totalization agreement with Mexico
In 2004, the U.S. and Mexico signed a totalization agreement. These agreements are intended to coordinate Social Security benefits for workers and to prevent double taxation for those who work in two countries during their careers.
The proposed totalization agreement with Mexico has not been approved. The agreement signed by the U.S. Commissioner of Social Security and the Director General of the Mexican Social Security Institute on June 29, 2004, was only the first step in the approval process. The State Department and the White House must review the agreement in order to determine whether the agreement should be sent to Congress for approval. Congress has the final say. Should the President send a proposed totalization agreement with Mexico to Congress for approval, Congress then has sixty days, during which either the House or Senate are in session, to consider the agreement.
Estimates of what this deal with the Mexican government would cost top one billion dollars per year. Like you, I believe we should be shoring up the system for those Americans who have paid into the system.
I was a proud co-sponsor of H.Res.18 which expresses the disapproval of the House of Representatives of the Social Security totalization agreement between the United States and Mexico.
Opening U.S. roads to commerce from Mexico
In February 2007, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters announced a one-year pilot program that would allow approximately 1,000 trucks from 100 Mexican companies to start hauling freight throughout the U.S. Currently, trucks from Mexico are restricted to transporting cargo within a commercial zone that extends twenty miles north of the border.
The pilot program would allow select Mexican trucking companies to haul in the U.S. after they pass a safety audit by U.S. inspectors, including thorough reviews of driver records, insurance policies, drug and alcohol testing and vehicle inspections.
In response to concerns raised about this proposal, I co-sponsored the Safe American Roads Act of 2007 (H.R. 1773). This bill, introduced by Representative Nancy Boyda [KS-02], would require additional safety measures and public review of the pilot program. In addition, the legislation would ensure equal opportunity for American businesses.
H.R. 1773 also would prohibit the Department of Transportation (DOT) from allowing Mexican-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones set forth by the pilot program. It would have restricted the timeline of the pilot program and required an Inspector General to review the program to determine whether Mexico-domiciled motor carriers were in full compliance with U.S. motor carrier safety laws. The legislation also called for the DOT to submit a report to Congress on the results of the pilot program within sixty days of completion. H.R. 1773 passed the House of Representatives on May 15, 2007 by a vote of 411-3 (Roll Call Vote 349). The bill awaits consideration by the Senate.
Additionally, I strongly supported Representative Pete DeFazio’s [OR-4] amendment to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2008 (H.R. 3074). This amendment, which passed the House of Representatives on July 24, 2007, prohibited the use of funds to establish or implement a cross-border motor carrier demonstration or pilot project or program to allow Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border. On the same day, H.R. 3074 passed the House by a vote of 268-153 (Roll Call Vote 715).
Congressman DeFazio’s provision was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2008 (H.R. 2764), which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 272-142 (Roll Call Vote 1186) on December 19, 2007. The bill was signed into law by President Bush on December 26, 2007. In short, this legislation prohibited the creation of any such pilot program in Fiscal Year 2008.
In addition, I support H.R. 6630 which would permanently prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border unless expressly authorized by Congress. This bill passed the House by a vote of 395-18 (Roll Call Vote 575) on September 9, 2008. The bill awaits consideration by the Senate.