There are few issues as important to Arizonans as securing the border and restoring integrity to our nation’s immigration system.
Insufficient resources dedicated to border security, coupled with a lack of will to effectively enforce the law, have allowed an estimated 500,000 individuals each year to cross our borders illegally or remain illegally in the country after overstaying their visas. The effects are felt throughout our state, with public schools, health-care delivery systems, the criminal justice system, and even our precious desert environment all suffering serious adverse consequences.
Since I was first elected to the Senate, I have tried to educate Senators and cabinet officials about the challenges facing our state and nation as a result of illegal immigration, and have fought hard for significant new resources to combat the problem. These efforts have resulted in measureable progress. For example, as far back as 1996, I won approval of an amendment that began the surge in the number of Border Patrol agents assigned to fight illegal immigration at the border. When the surge began, the number of Border agents totaled about 4,000. By January 2010, the initiatives I supported increased that number to more than 20,000. Comprehensive, new enforcement programs, like Operation Streamline, have led to substantial reductions in the number of illegal crossings, particularly in the Yuma sector.
Regrettably, much of the progress made in recent years now appears to be at risk under the Obama administration. For example, the budget President Obama proposed for FY2011 would actually reduce both the number of Border Patrol agents available to secure the border and the number of detention spaces available to hold illegal immigrants. It would substantially underfund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program – providing only $330 million or about a third of the total $950 million that has been authorized – and cancel plans to extend the border fence beyond the 670 miles already planned.
The President’s budget would cut the Customs and Border Protection budget by two percent, reduce funding for E-Verify by $35 million, and cut $226 million from the budget for border security, fencing, infrastructure and technology.
Unless Congress reverses these reductions, border security will suffer. I intend to fight the President’s budget recommendations and maintain the progress we have made in recent years.
I have worked every year to increase personnel, high-technology equipment, and other resources along the border, securing, among other things, increased funding for:
- additional Border Patrol agents;
- acquisition of new Border Patrol vehicles, equipment, and technology;
- construction of new Border Patrol stations and improvements at existing facilities (including in Nogales, Tucson, Yuma, and Douglas);
- border fencing and other barriers;
- additional staff in the offices of U.S. and county attorneys to process criminal aliens;
- improved infrastructure (including new or improved ports of entry in Mariposa and San Luis) and new technology to speed legal border crossings and help to identify those who have overstayed their visas or entered the country illegally;
- records modernization;
- interior enforcement;
- SENTRI lanes;
- the Entry-Exit system;
- Customs and immigration inspectors, agents, and equipment; and
- detention facilities and bed space.
Comprehensive immigration reform legislation was defeated in 2007, largely because many Americans demanded that the federal government get serious about enforcing existing laws and better securing the border, including with fencing and other barriers, before considering whether to provide legal status to illegal immigrants who are already here.
After the legislation was defeated, I urged then-President Bush to more effectively utilize all existing authorities to enforce the law and thereby demonstrate to a skeptical public that our government is indeed committed to enforcement. The President subsequently announced that his administration would mandate expanded use of E-Verify to enable employers to check the work status of new hires, expand worksite investigations to identify those operating in flagrant violation of immigration laws, and increase fines imposed on those who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.
I introduced a tough enforcement-only bill to authorize additional Border Patrol agents, additional fencing on the southern border, new ground-based radar stations, more detention bed spaces to detain illegal border crossers, and a new electronic employment verification system. An amendment I authored was subsequently adopted and became law, providing $3 billion in FY2008 to implement many of my suggested enhancements. I cosponsored legislation with Senator Dianne Feinstein to authorize $950 million per year for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) and reimburse state and local governments for the costs of detaining illegal immigrants. That measure is now law, but Congress has never fully funded the authorized amount. Now, President Obama’s budget would provide only about a third of the total.
I supported Operation Streamline (sometimes known as “Zero Tolerance”), which has proven to be one of the most important enforcement efforts, having helped dramatically decrease the number of illegal immigrants who are crossing the border. In the Yuma sector alone, there has been an 80 percent decline in the number of apprehensions, largely because Operation Streamline has led to more effective prosecution and incarceration of illegal border crossers.
The Obama administration has been reluctant to expand this approach to other areas, but I will continue to press for expansion, including to the Tucson sector, which remains the most active sector for illegal immigration.
I supported the Secure Fence Act, as well as the subsequent appropriations to fund fencing construction on an expedited basis. As of the end of January 2010, the Department of Homeland Security had completed construction of 642 miles of fencing, including more than 305 miles of fencing in Arizona. Although fencing has proven effective in reducing illegal entry, President Obama recommends a budget for next year that foresees no new barrier construction.
E-Verify – a voluntary program that allows employers to check the work status of new hires on-line – was reauthorized in 2009 for an additional five years. Over 90,000 employers are currently enrolled in E-Verify, and the program is considered over 96 percent accurate. I worked to pass the extended authorization of the program, along with the additional funding needed to improve the E-Verify process, ensure accuracy, and expand the program. E-Verify will help ensure that only citizens and those who are legally authorized to work in the country are allowed to do so. It is also essential for the implementation of Arizona’s state law requiring employer verification of eligibility for employment.
Despite the need for this important program, the President’s budget for next year would cut $35 million from the program. It would neither expand the program to ensure a more thorough check of employment status, nor extend the program beyond the currently contemplated five years.
Fighting cross-border violence and the flow of illegal drugs into the country is also important.
In December 2006, President Calderon of Mexico launched a sweeping initiative to crack down on the drug cartels that operate in that country and supply a great deal of the illegal drugs used throughout our state. The cartels are fighting back, leading to a dangerous uptick in violence on both sides of the border.
It is imperative that the United States support efforts to fight these criminal enterprises and the violence they spawn on both sides of the border. Although levels of cooperation had not been as high as we had hoped in the past, things have changed dramatically, and Mexican officials are now more cooperative as they are in a serious fight to control the drug cartels in their country.
With that in mind, I supported the Merida Initiative in 2008 to provide Mexico with military and law enforcement training, as well as technical advice and training to strengthen its national justice systems and weed out corruption.
In 2009, I worked with other Senators to secure $250 million in emergency funding to fight the drug cartels and the flow of illegal drugs and violence across the border. Funding was included for more border officers and investigators, canines, mobile response teams, and protective equipment. Funds were also provided for Operation Stonegarden to help law enforcement authorities in Arizona fight home invasions and other criminal activity. I also supported the Byrne Grant Program to help fund multi-jurisdictional drug task forces throughout Arizona, and have led efforts to combat the methamphetamine trade in the state.
Please visit the Crime & Justice page of my website for more information about my work on law enforcement initiatives, including drug-related violence and gang abatement and prevention.
