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According to Nebraskans I have visited with statewide, America’s border security is a top issue and I have made it one of my main priorities in the Senate.
After years of failed immigration policies, we must resolve to strengthen our border security and provide the resources to effectively enforce our laws.
Last week I re-introduced my Border Security and Interior Enforcement Improvement Act to solve the border security problem where it starts—at the border.
And last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee began hearings into immigration reform. What was clear from the very beginning among committee members, including the co-sponsors of my bill, is that they believe that we need to secure our borders first, before we can address other issues.
My bi-partisan bill, offered with Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL), is a border security first bill.
When I first announced last September that I would propose a border security bill I said at the time that Congress needed to change its thinking on how to address illegal immigration. The huge bills with guest worker programs and amnesty were going nowhere. I recommended securing our borders first, before we could address the other issues.
Last week, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) told the Judiciary Committee: “We need to get our house in order before we have a temporary worker plan." I agree that we need to focus on securing our borders and that’s why I have developed this legislation.
My bill focuses on three areas of enforcement: the border, the law, and the workplace.
• At the border, The Border Security and Interior Enforcement Improvement Act:
o Provides for the construction of a two-layer reinforced border fence from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
o Increases the number of Border Patrol agents by 3,000 agents a year from 2006 through 2011.
o And promotes the coordination between the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to assist with surveillance.
• We must also give our law enforcement the resources they need to secure our border. This bill:
o Increases the number of investigative personnel and immigration attorneys and judges.
o It also adds 20 new detention facilities and 10,000 new beds for illegal immigrants arrested at the border.
• Finally, we need to strengthen our enforcement policies in America’s workplaces by:
o Requiring all employers to verify that their workers are authorized to work in the U.S.
o And eliminating tax breaks currently going to employers of illegal workers. My bill also aims at streamlining the legal immigration process to eliminate the backlog of cases involving people who are trying to immigrate legally. As we crackdown on those coming here illegally, it is imperative that we speed up the process for those seeking to come to America through legal channels.
Aiming at the issues affecting our border security at the border will aid in solving what’s quickly becoming an illegal immigration crisis in America.
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