Republicans fall down on border security

by: Congressman Silvestre Reyes

Fri Jul 21, 2006 at 05:35 PM CDT

You could say, the most action House Republicans have taken on border security has been in the course of opposing more resources for the border.

On the other hand, in terms of noise-making on the issue, the House GOP is unmatched. I figure, they need to be loud in order to obscure the fact that Republicans are splintered on the issue of border enforcement and immigration. From the President to the Senate to the House to the states, the GOP Caucus can't agree on protecting our borders and ensuring our national security.

Anyway, read below the fold for the Republican record on border security in the House. Republicans opposed and voted against increased resources for the border 11 times!

Republicans Lay a Brick on Border Enforcement

by: Congressman Silvestre Reyes

Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 04:12 PM CDT

I saw something else in the bricks we've been receiving -- holes.

As you can see in the photograph, I'm holding bricks with holes in them. Moreover, they're crumbling in my hands. Having built a wall or two in my day and spent a considerable amount of time roaming the aisles of El Paso's various home improvement and hardware stores, I can tell you, these are not bricks to build with.

The first thing that struck me about the bricks that we've received is that they are representative of the House Republicans' empty approach to immigration reform. I've said a thousand times that people who want to wall off an entire country and turn immigrants and good samaritans into felons simply do not understand the true nature of immigration and border enforcement. If we truly wish the meet the challenges (and take advantage of the opportunities) that present themselves on our southern border, we must pursue policy that approaches immigration and border enforcement in comprehensive fashion. And we definitely can't design policy just to satisfy the conservative base of the Republican party. That is not in the best interests of America.

What I'd like to do is send a three legged stool to every individual that sent me a brick, because it is the three legged stool, not a brick, that represents good immigration policy. Immigration reform must cover three points to succeed; if not, the proverbial stool will fall. Here are the points:

1. Step up border enforcement by providing more resources for agents, detention beds, and force multipliers like cameras;

2. Establish a guest worker program that contains a pathway to citizenship; and

3. Beef up interior enforcement by enforcing employer sanctions and generally making it more difficult to employ illegal immigrants, which eliminates the "pull factor" that encourages immigration today.

If there's an appropriate symbol for  the immigration proposals I've heard from the Republican Caucus in the House, it's certainly what I've been receiving in the mail, a brick you can't build with.

Check out the picture over at http://www.reyesblog.com.