Border Security

Border Security and Immigration Reform

Some of the most critical issues facing our country today are improving our homeland security, securing our borders, and reforming our broken immigration system.  With an estimated 12-20 million illegal aliens currently residing within our borders, it is clear that the current system is not working.

Securing the Border

The first and most critical step in solving our border and immigration problems is securing the border.  This is an increasing challenge, especially with the escalating violence in Mexico that has resulted from President Calderon’s commitment to fight the drug lords and cartel networks. 

As we see in the news every day, President Calderon and his administration are heavily invested in defeating the powerful cartels, which are fighting amongst each other and fighting against the national army that have been sent by Calderon to challenge them.  Drug-related violence has killed over 10,000 people since 2006, and the violence has steadily increased as the drug trade has been hampered by the government.  It is imperative that the United States support President Calderon and our neighbor, Mexico, during this crucial time, which is why I support the goals of the Merida Initiative.

Two years ago, the governments of Mexico and the United States announced the Merida Initiative, a three-year plan to provide Mexico with $1.4 billion in funding to help control drug trafficking. In addition to paying for needed military and law enforcement training and equipment, the Merida Initiative provides funds for judicial reform and human-rights issues.  The Merida Initiative, along with President Calderon’s resolve, holds the promise of bringing change to Mexico.

A March 2009 Rasmussen poll showed that eighty-two percent of those surveyed said that they are concerned Mexican drug violence will spill over into the United States with six in ten Americans saying that the U.S. should continue to build the border fence along the Southwest border. 

The fact is that people, money and drugs are still crossing our border illegally.  Unless we secure our borders, our country remains vulnerable to bad actors who wish to do nothing more than ruin our cherished freedoms and way of life.  You can be sure I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that Congress provides the resources necessary to ensure the border is secured as quickly and effectively as possible. 

Immigration Reform

While we must secure the border first, we must also fix our broken immigration system.  We simply can’t ignore the millions of illegal aliens who are here in the United States, as well as the millions of others who want to come to the United States to perform seasonal labor and return home, or those who wish to remain in the United States permanently.  We need a system that addresses all of those issues.

I do not believe that those 12 to 20 million immigrants who have come here illegally should be given any special privileges.  They should not be allowed to get on a path to citizenship ahead of the thousands of people who have been trying to come here legally through the proper channels and have been waiting in line for months, if not years.

We also need a reliable identification system so we can easily identify who is here legally, whether they are here on a permanent or temporary basis.  I believe we must hold employers responsible when they hire people who come here illegally, but we need to ensure we have a reliable identification system first.

Congress will continue to grapple with this complicated problem.  I have listened to concerns of people in my district. I have discussed these issues with members of my Hispanic Advisory Council, many of whom agree we need to address the crisis on the Texas border. 

You can be sure I will be studying all of the options very carefully as Congress and the Obama Administration weigh the legislative policies affecting border security and immigration.