WASHINGTON, D.C. – Third District Representative Walter B. Jones denounced the Senate’s passage yesterday of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, a bill that includes the largest illegal alien amnesty in American history.

Among the Senate bill’s many troubling provisions is a Specter-Kennedy amendment, a last-minute amendment approved just before the bill’s final passage, requiring “consultation” with Mexico before the United States can build a security fence on our nation’s southern border.

“It is a direct attack on American sovereignty to give Mexico a legal say in the construction of a security fence built entirely on American soil,” Congressman Jones said. “Securing our borders is non-negotiable with a foreign country.”

“Border protection is critical to our national security and our economy,” Jones continued. “It is irresponsible to forfeit any degree of American control over securing our borders and protecting our citizens.”

In December of last year, Congressman Jones voted in favor of H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The House legislation aims to reestablish respect for immigration laws, demands accountability by cracking down on employers hiring illegal workers and smugglers trafficking in human beings and confronts the emerging problem of alien gangs. H.R. 4437 does not include an amnesty provision.

For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.