Kyl Assesses Border Invasion Risk

NEWS & ANALYSIS

Kyl Says Border Invasion has Reached 'Critical Mass'

June 7, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Jon Kyl said today that the government's refusal to control the southern border has reached "critical mass." He made his remarks at a joint hearing of the Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, which he chairs, and the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship, chaired by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). Today's hearing, “The Southern Border in Crisis: Resources and Strategies to Improve National Security,” is the latest in a series designed to thoroughly review America’s immigration laws and the status of their enforcement.

“The current border crisis has been years in the making, but it now appears to have reached a critical mass,” Kyl said. “The combination of increasing entry attempts by both Mexicans as well as others from around the world, along with inadequate Border Patrol resources and insufficient interior enforcement, has created a catastrophic situation. Without a stronger commitment to enforcement of our laws, it will only get worse. Hundreds already die in the desert; others make it across only to commit crimes or exploit our essentially free medical care and other services. And we can no longer say we have no evidence of terrorists crossing the border. Will it take a smuggled weapon of mass destruction to get Congress to take this problem seriously?”

Kyl said that soaring numbers of border invasions by Other-than-Mexican (OTM), along with apprehensions and the lack of detention space have required that many illegal aliens be released pending court hearings (unless the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reason to believe they represent a criminal threat). Since many illegals lack proper documentation, their identities and potential risk threat are not verified. Typically upon release, 98 percent of these illegals disappear and refuse to appear for their hearings.

“One very effective tool for dealing with non-Mexican aliens without releasing them into the population is the expedited removal process, which we intend to fully fund through our comprehensive immigration reform bill,” Kyl said. “We’ll also look to our neighbors like Mexico to help address the problem of other countries’ nationals coming through their territory to sneak into the United States. Another key element will be increased checkpoints, as part of the layered defense strategy to apprehend terrorists who might attempt to hide in the broader migrant flow with the help of coyote smugglers.”

Cornyn and Kyl recently released Title I details which focus on enforcement provisions and funding issues. Title I is expected to be part of a three-title comprehensive immigration reform bill to be introduced this summer, tentatively called the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act.

Witnesses at the hearing included: Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar; Wesley Lee, acting director of detention and removal operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and former DHS Assistant Secretary Assistant Secretary of Policy and Planning for Border and Transportation Security Stewart Verdery.