OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006

Date: May 18, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Immigration Criminal Justice


DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 -- (House of Representatives - May 18, 2005)

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Mr. McCAUL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me time and for his hard work on this amendment which is vital to assisting State and local law enforcement to participate in this very important program. I was proud to offer the base amendment at the committee level, along with my friend from Alabama.

An estimated 8- to 12 million undocumented aliens are here in the United States, and Border Patrol estimates that for every one that is apprehended at the border up to three others enter our Nation. In the post-9/11 world, these figures are no longer just an immigration problem but, rather, one of national security.

My experience on border security is that our Federal law enforcement officers are being stretched too thin and asked to do too much and need all the help available. With this amendment, State and local officers can be trained to be qualified to perform the essential functions of an immigration officer, including investigation, apprehension, and detention of not only undocumented aliens but potential criminals and terrorists.

The $40 million to States who qualify will serve as a needed force multiplier to our border patrol, border inspectors, and ICE investigators; and it is purely a voluntary program.

If we have learned anything from the tragedy of September 11, it is that we must work together. No longer can we afford the turf battles between State, Federal, and local law enforcement. As the head of the Joint Terrorism Task Force back in my State, the State of Texas, I can tell you that State and locals participate in the Joint Terrorism task forces. This will give them the tools and the training necessary to enforce not only our terrorist laws but the immigration laws that so often overlap into the Federal terrorist criminal penalties.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. It will bring law enforcement together in a unified front to protect our national security.

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