House Passes Three Bills to Secure Our Borders
House Passes Three Bills to Secure Our Borders
The United States House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved three bills that address illegal immigration activity. Idaho Congressmen Mike Simpson and C.L. "Butch" Otter joined colleagues to support passage of these bills: H.R. 4830, The Border Tunnel Prevention Act, H.R. 6094, The Community Protection Act of 2006, and H.R. 6095, The Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006.
"Each of these bills address immediate concerns with illegal immigration," said Simpson. "We must be able to secure our borders in order to have a secure nation. There were over 38 tunnels into the U.S. trafficking, drugs, weapons, and gang members. This legislation helps shut these down and increases the penalties on those who chose to participate in this illegal activity."
"It's unfortunate that we have to take such a piecemeal approach to addressing such a critical problem. But Mike and I are committed to doing what we can to see that our borders are secure, and that criminals and terrorists have no easy route or free pass into America," Otter said. "It's our hope that the Senate will quickly follow the House's lead and give these important measures final approval."
Following are the measures passed by the House today:
H.R. 6094, the Community Protection Act of 2006
Introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
* Detains dangerous aliens who are unable to be deported
* Expedite the removal of alien criminals
* Detains and Deports alien gang members
H.R. 6095, the Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006
Introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
* Reaffirms the authority of state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws
* Increases prosecutions of alien illegals
* Imposes "catch & return" instead of "catch & release"
H.R. 4830, the Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2006
Introduced by Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-CA) and Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ)
* Criminalizes the construction and financing of border tunnels
http://www.house.gov/list/press/id02_simpson/threeborder_bills.html