Tucson lawmaker says federal government needs to protect our borders
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords issued the following statement today after the Senate failed to advance comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
It is extremely unfortunate that the Senate voted today to end debate on immigration reform. Doing nothing to address our nation's immigration crisis is irresponsible. The federal government cannot continue to shirk its responsibility to protect our borders.
An impressive bipartisan coalition of Senators - including Senator Jon Kyl - worked tirelessly to craft compromise legislation on this difficult issue. Their work deserves our praise. But the failure we witnessed today in the Senate leaves the burden of dealing with illegal immigration on state and local governments.
My district in Southern Arizona confronts the many negative impacts of illegal immigration every day. The toll is profound. I will not relent in my efforts to find ways to remove the unfunded mandates placed on local law enforcement, health and social service agencies and our public schools.
In the House I will pursue every opportunity to introduce legislation and increase funding to address the problems we face with illegal immigration. This includes adding more Border Patrol agents and technology to secure our border and fighting to fully fund the federal program that reimburses local law enforcement agencies for the apprehension and detention of illegal immigrants.
The fight for comprehensive immigration reform goes on and it will remain my top priority in Congress.