Aguila Blanca
Member
Received the following from one of my Senators in response to a request that he do something to secure the southern border
Why do I not feel encouraged?
After readinbg it several times, what I get out of it is, "I want to be certain that you believe I am as concerned about this as you are. Therefore, I am supporting someone else's bill to give yet more money to the countries that are causing the problem."January 4, 2006
Mr. xxx xxx
123 xxx Road
xxx, xx xxxxx-xxxx
Dear Mr. xxx:
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about our border security.
Securing our borders is a very important issue and I am glad to hear from
you.
The United States of America was founded and sustained by immigrants. It
is attributable to the American spirit that so many peoples seek the
opportunity of America; however 9/11 has taught us that we must be more
diligent policing our borders. A General Accounting Office report cite
the primary shortcomings of the Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS) as a lack of adequate personnel on our borders as well as the lack
of information sharing between border patrol agencies and incompatible
computer information systems. Communication and coordination is a must if
we are to stop illegal aliens and would-be terrorist from crossing our
borders.
During President Clinton's administration, I supported his immigration
reform initiative that doubled the number of border patrol agents, as well
as increased funds to update computer equipment and make infrastructure
improvements. The reformation of our immigration enforcement agencies has
been a slow and steady process; however, 9/11 highlights the need for
increased diligence to complete the reformation as soon as possible and
verify that the INS is efficient in all its functions. That must include
linking up the various border patrol agencies electronically and improving
the information transfer between government agencies.
Regarding the inefficiencies at the INS, as you may know, Congress, with
my support, passed legislation creating the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) which abolished the INS. Under this legislation, the
Directorate of Border and Transportation Security at DHS is responsible
for the INS's enforcement functions as well as other entities that may
play a role in border security. The INS's naturalization and citizenship
duties are now handled by the newly created Bureau of Citizenship and
Immigration Services at DHS. The separation of these contradictory
functions represents a huge step forward in stopping undocumented aliens
from reaching our shores and making certain that those that we do invite
into our nation have honorable intentions.
In May 2002, the Senate passed the U.S. Enhanced Border Security and Visa
Reform Act (P.L. 107-118). This legislation sets forth directives and
guidelines for communication between the border patrol agencies, domestic
law enforcement agencies, and international intelligence organizations.
It authorizes a new system using biometric cards for non-citizens that
cross the border to work and for recreation. This bill has measures that
create a new central database that be accessed by all border patrol
entities called the Interagency Border Inspection System (IBIS). Most
importantly, it significantly increases the staff of all the various
border agencies and gives them more resources to find aliens as the come,
before they get lost in our communities.
Moreover, with my support, the Senate adopted an amendment to the Senate
version of the 2005 Iraqi and Afghanistan War Supplemental Appropriations
legislation which funds an additional 650 Border Patrol Agents, 250
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement investigators, and 168 detention
officers.
Most recently, Senator Richard Lugar introduced the North American
Cooperative security Act (S. 853). This legislation directs the Secretary
of State to provide a framework for enhanced security management,
communication, and coordination among the United States, Canada, and
Mexico. More specifically, S. 853 mandates the Secretary of State to
negotiate border-related information sharing agreements with Mexico; (2)
establish a program to improve Mexico's southern border security,
including U.S., Canadian, and Mexican financial and technical assistance
to Belize and Guatemala to help secure their borders; (3) establish a
database to track Central American gangs; (4) examine the feasibility of a
n agreement with Panama and other Central American countries regarding the
aerial interdiction program (Airbridge Denial); and (5) negotiate with
other countries to accept the International Civil Aviation Organization
Annex 9 one-time travel document in lieu of official travel documents if
an inadmissible immigrant has not presented official travel documents or
has presented fraudulent ones, and facilitate the removal and repatriation
of inadmissible aliens from the United States, with a focus on criminal
aliens who are dangerous or potential terrorists. S. 853 is currently
pending debate before the Senate committee on foreign Relations.
The public well-being is my top immigration priority; therefore, we must
commit ourselves to continue building up our enforcement mechanisms to
completely secure our borders. Please be assured that I share your
concern about border security, and I will keep you views in mind as the
Senate considers S. 853 or any other legislation that seeks to enhance
border security operations. To keep track of future actions on this
legislation, you can go to the "Bill Tracking" service at
http://xxx.senate.gov/issues/resources.
My official Senate web site is designed to be an on-line office that
provides access to constituent services, state-specific information,
and an abundance of information about what I am working on in the Senate
on behalf of xxx and the nation. I am also pleased to let you
know that I have launched an email news update service through my web
site. You can sign up for that service by visiting
http://xxx.senate.gov and clicking on the "Subscribe Email News
Updates" button at the bottom of the home page. I hope these are
informative and useful.
Thank you again for letting me know your views and concerns. Please
contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work
in Congress.
Sincerely,
xxx x. xxx
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Why do I not feel encouraged?
