Immigration Laws Must Be Enforced

March 30, 2006 - Throughout our history, America has been a nation of immigrants, but it also has been a nation of laws. We have a legal process to govern immigration into our country, but this system has broken down. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports that the U.S. Border Patrol made 1.1 million border apprehensions in 2005.

Clearly, our nation’s borders aren’t as secure as they should be. The estimated 11 million illegal aliens currently residing in the U.S. demonstrate that it is much too easy for people to enter our country undetected and remain here for as long as they please. In fact, the 9/11 Commission found that better enforcement of immigration laws could have resulted in the interception or deportation of 15 of the 19 hijackers.

The unregulated flow of people across our borders poses a serious threat to our national security. The 9/11 Commission also pointed to our vast land borders as a potential way for terrorists to gain entry into our country.

When my 78-year-old mother travels through the Nashville airport, she is subject to extensive screening. She must present identification, pass through metal detectors, submit her belongings to inspection, and she could be pulled out of line for even more searches. And yet, thousands of people flow across our borders unchecked.

Better enforcement of our border security laws is also needed to decrease the amount of illegal drugs smuggled into our communities. Strict new laws have helped reduce methamphetamine production in Tennessee. However, the amount of meth smuggled in from Mexico has increased dramatically.

The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that 65 to 80 percent of all meth consumed in the United States is from Mexico. Our communities have limited resources to fight crime. If we address this problem at our borders, local law enforcement won’t have to address the problem in our neighborhoods. This alone could save billions of tax dollars.

It is high time that we take action to secure our borders. That’s why I voted for the tough immigration bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in December. The bill requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to develop a national strategy for border security and to work with the Department of Defense to increase the availability and use of military equipment in border surveillance. The legislation also requires installation of security fencing along key points of the Mexican border.

I have also supported legislation to standardize federal recognition for drivers’ licenses and make it harder for illegal immigrants to acquire them. In addition, I have co-sponsored a bill to increase the number of border patrol agents.

I oppose proposals that would grant blanket amnesty to illegal immigrants. Amnesty sends the wrong message to those who have entered our country by legal means. Instead of deterring illegal immigration, amnesty would only add to the problem by encouraging more people to cross our borders illegally in hopes of someday receiving amnesty themselves. This could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and put a severe strain on our nation’s social services, programs designed to aid our nation’s poor, elderly and disabled.

As this debate heats up and Congress takes action to fix our broken immigration system, we must take great care to discourage illegal entry and once again establish that America is a nation of laws.