Insider Advantage Georgia
February 24, 2006

Isakson: States Must Do What They Can, But Won't Solve Illegal Problems Alone
By Dick Pettys

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said Friday that state lawmakers like those in Georgia must do what they can to deal with the problem of illegal immigration but added that nothing they do will matter that much until the federal government gets the situation under control.

“If the federal government had done its job and secured our borders ... the states wouldn’t be dealing with the problems they are dealing with. This is a federal concern to stop the flow of illegals,” he said.

He commented in an interview with InsiderAdvantage Georgia after returning from an inspection trip to the U.S. border with Mexico.

On the Arizona-Mexico border, Isakson said, he and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., watched an unmanned predator aircraft follow the arrest of 15 illegals from 15,000 feet in the sky, the picture so clear “it was like we were watching it in front of the TV at home.”

Only one such predator aircraft is on the border now. “We really need a fleet of about 26,” he said.

Isakson said funding the planes - $10 million a copy – should be a top priority. “It is a very small investment given the billions we’re putting in, to give our agents the eyes the need.”

On the border at San Diego, the senators were present when scanners detected a pickup truck with a false bed concealing three illegals. “The interdiction is far and above what it used to be,” he said.

“I’m impressed with the start and the improvement. We’ve gone from stopping one in four illegals in California now ... to three out of every four. That’s a great improvement but we’ve got to get it to 100 percent.”

A bill pending before the Georgia Legislature would require applicants for public services to show proof of citizenship, impose a tough new state penalty for human trafficking and use the tax law to discourage businesses from hiring or contracting with those in this country illegally.

Isakson said states have to consider such laws, “given the public pressure. It was the Number One domestic issue when I ran (for the Senate). I understand the pressure the representatives and senators are getting. They can’t afford not to deal with it. The problem is, if we don’t stop the flow (at the federal level), nothing they do will matter that much. We’ve got to manage our borders and I’m committed to seeing that done.”