Dreier Delivers Floor Statement Regarding Illegal Immigration and the Bonner Plan

October 4, 2004

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas) delivered the following statement on the floor of the House today regarding upcoming votes to fight illegal immigration and his recently introduced legislation that will crack down on social security card fraud, known as The Bonner Plan.

"Mr. Speaker, this week we will consider what is perhaps the most significant piece of legislation of this Congress. Following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, we all recognized that we had to take dramatic steps to ensure that it never happens again. H.R. 10, the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act, is the culmination of years of extensive study, debate, and dedication by those who are committed to improving our nation’s homeland security.

"I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of this important bill, which was introduced by Speaker Hastert, not only because it takes extensive steps to reform our intelligence agencies, but also because it addresses a critical threat to our national security – the porous nature of our borders. We know that it is far too easy for illegal immigrants to cross the border into this country, and we cannot ignore the fact that terrorists can gain access to the United States this way.

"So I am particularly pleased that as we worked on this bill, we were able to include measures to strengthen our ongoing efforts to eliminate illegal border crossings. This legislation adds 10,000 new Border Patrol agents to intercept illegal immigrants and potential terrorists, as well as 4,000 new immigration enforcement investigators to track illegal immigrants down within our borders. These 14,000 new agents are badly needed and will immediately improve illegal immigrant interdiction and interception operations.

"Additionally, H.R. 10 allows for expedited deportation of illegal immigrants, and limits the ability of potential terrorists to claim political asylum to avoid being repatriated to their home country. All of these measures will upgrade our ability to win the battle that is taking place every day along our borders.

"Perhaps most notably, H.R. 10 includes provisions to counter the explosive increase in identity fraud committed by illegal immigrants and terrorists. This issue is of paramount concern to me, because I firmly believe that if we can eliminate job access for illegal immigrants, then we will be much closer to completing our ultimate goal of eliminating illegal immigration.

"In fact, Mr. Speaker, T.J. Bonner, a 26-year veteran of the Border Patrol, and President of the National Border Patrol Council, estimates that we can eliminate as much as 98 percent of illegal border crossings if we can give employers access to verifiable identity information on prospective employees and if we crack down on employers who hire illegal workers. 98 percent is a remarkable number, and it would allow the Border Patrol to focus on targeting criminal aliens and terrorists.

"Because of this, Mr. Speaker, I introduced H.R. 5111, the Bonner Plan, to improve the security of our Social Security cards and provide a method by which employers could immediately verify the authenticity of that Social Security card. My bill would also increase fines for hiring an illegal worker by 400 percent, and provide for prison sentences of up to 5 years per count.

"A major first step toward passage of the Bonner Plan in its entirety has been the inclusion of very important provisions to combat identity fraud in H.R. 10, which we will be passing this week. H.R. 10 includes new federal minimum standards to ensure the integrity of both Driver’s Licenses and Birth Certificates – both of which are widely used source documents that allow illegal immigrants to obtain other documents and access to social services. These new federal standards will increase the difficulty for illegal immigrants to hide the true nature of their illegal status in our country.

"And similar to the Bonner Plan, H.R. 10 improves the privacy and integrity of an individual’s Social Security Number, limits the number of replacement Social Security cards a person may receive, and investigates whether the Social Security Number itself can be used as a tool to verify a worker’s authorization to work in the United States.

"All of these provisions are vitally important to both the war against illegal immigration and the war on terrorism, so I stand here today to enthusiastically express my support for its passage – with the immigration measures fully intact.

"Since I introduced it on September 21st the Bonner Plan has received interest and support from many of my colleagues, including Mr. Kyl, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Chambliss in the Senate. The bill has also garnered a unique group of bipartisan co-sponsors including Mr. Reyes, a past Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Mr. Tancredo, the Chairman of the Immigration Reform Caucus. We all share the goal of eliminating illegal immigration."

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