WASHINGTON, July 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Federation for American
Immigration Reform (FAIR) congratulates the Senate for taking positive action
toward securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws. By an 89-1
vote, the Senate approved a
The amendment to a House Appropriations measure, authored by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), calls for increasing the manpower of the Border Patrol, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and other Department of Homeland Security agencies involved in immigration enforcement. In addition to the two primary authors, the ranking Member of the Immigration Subcommittee, Senator John Cornyn (R-Tex.), worked diligently to ensure that the interior enforcement provisions remained in the spending bill.
"The approval of these additional funds to secure our borders and improve interior enforcement of immigration laws is a direct consequence of the overwhelming public rejection of Senate legislation that would have granted amnesty to millions of illegal aliens and created large new guest worker programs," stated Dan Stein , president of FAIR. "The American public made it absolutely clear that they want the government to secure the border and enforce our immigration laws -- and that none of these efforts should be conditioned on rewarding people who have broken our laws.
"During the course of last month's Senate debate there was universal agreement on the need to improve border security and enforce laws against illegal aliens already in the country. To their credit, the Senate has taken a step to decouple enforcement from amnesty," Stein noted.
FAIR is urging President Bush to sign this important homeland security measure when it reaches his desk. The president, who has insisted that immigration enforcement be linked to amnesty and new guest workers, is threatening to veto the bill because it would not be financed by fines and fees paid by illegal aliens seeking amnesty.
"The Senate has obviously gotten the message and it is time that President Bush listen to the American people and protect our borders and enforce our laws without preconditions," said Stein. FAIR also cautioned that merely spending money is not the same as actual border and immigration enforcement. "This should be a first step toward real immigration enforcement, not a first step toward an amnesty program. In addition to dollars being spent, the American public wants to see tangible improvements in enforcement leading to reductions in illegal border crossings and reductions in the number of illegal aliens residing in the United States . Progress can only be measured by results," Stein concluded.
SOURCE FAIR
