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Skriven 2005-10-18 23:33:06 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0510183) for Tue, 2005 Oct 18
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Fact Sheet: President Bush Signs Homeland Security Appropriations Act
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For Immediate Release
October 18, 2005

Fact Sheet: President Bush Signs Homeland Security Appropriations Act


ÿÿÿÿÿPresident Signs Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2006
ÿÿÿÿÿIn Focus: Homeland Security

Today's Presidential Action:

Today, President Bush Signed The Department Of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act Of Fiscal Year 2006 And Discussed Our Priorities In
Defending The Homeland. We are tearing down the legal and bureaucratic wall
that separated intelligence agents from law enforcement officers, and we
have disrupted terrorist planning and financing. We have used the Patriot
Act to break up terror cells and prosecute their operatives and supporters.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has increased
the number of people guarding our borders, hardened security of the
Nation's infrastructure, and helped give local and state law enforcement
the tools they need to do their job.
  þ DHS Is Protecting The American People. This bill supports ongoing
    efforts to protect the homeland with $30.8 billion in discretionary
    funding - an increase of $1.8 billion over 2005. This will help make
    America safer by identifying terrorists seeking to enter our country,
    safeguarding cities against weapons of mass destruction, and better
    preparing the Federal government to respond to a catastrophic attack.
  þ DHS Is Enforcing Our Immigration Laws. America welcomes all who come
    here respecting our laws and is strengthened by those who come seeking
    opportunity. To preserve that opportunity, immigration laws must be
    respected and vigorously enforced. This is a matter of justice and
    national security. This bill includes $7.5 billion in funding to
    address the serious problem of illegal immigration. We will gain
    control of our borders and make America more secure.

Defending The Homeland By Improving Border Security

Enforcing Our Borders Is Key To America's Homeland Defense. When our
borders are not secure, terrorists, drug dealers, and criminals find it
easier to sneak into our country. The Administration has a clear strategy
to address this problem. We are strengthening security along our borders,
improving our ability to find and apprehend illegal immigrants who have
crossed the border, and working to ensure that those caught are returned to
their home countries as soon as possible.
  þ The Federal Government Is Acting To Enhance America's Border Security.
    To stop illegal immigrants from coming into the United States, the
    Federal government has increased manpower, upgraded technology, and
    improved physical barriers along the border. Since 2001, the Federal
    government has increased funding for border security by 60 percent and
    hired more than 1,900 new Border Patrol agents. New technologies like
    unmanned aircraft, ground sensors, and infrared cameras have been
    deployed. The Administration is also taking steps to complete a fence
    running along the San Diego border with Mexico.
  þ The Federal Government Is Enforcing America's Immigration Laws And
    Sending Illegal Immigrants Back Home. Since 2001, we have increased
    funding for immigration enforcement by 35 percent. The government has
    added nearly 1,000 agents and investigators to help us find and return
    illegal immigrants, and we are targeting the criminal gangs and coyotes
    that traffic in humans. Working with state and local law enforcement in
    Arizona, we have prosecuted more than 2,300 people for smuggling drugs,
    guns, and illegal immigrants across the border. To make the process
    more effective, we are working with foreign governments to review cases
    and issue travel documents more quickly. Since 2001, we have removed
    several million illegal immigrants from the United States - including
    nearly 300,000 with criminal records.

More Needs To Be Done To Secure Our Borders. Despite these efforts, today
we capture many more illegal immigrants than we can send home - especially
non-Mexicans. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of bed space in
detention facilities. When no bed space is available for a non-Mexican
illegal immigrant, he or she is let go on a promise to return for a court
appearance. However, many never show. Last year, we returned only 30,000 of
the 160,000 non-Mexican illegal immigrants who crossed the southwest
border. This bill will expand our reach and effectiveness in two important
ways:
  þ First, DHS Funding Will Improve Efforts To Close Our Borders To Those
    Trying To Sneak Through. DHS Appropriations provide more than $2.3
    billion for the Border Patrol. The bill includes funding for 1,000 new
    agents, $139 million to improve technology and intelligence
    capabilities, $82 million to improve and expand Border Patrol stations,
    and $70 million to install and improve fencing, lighting, vehicle
    barriers, and roads. Together these programs will help us build smarter
    and more secure borders.
  þ Second, DHS Funding Will Enhance Efforts To Find And Return Illegal
    Immigrants. DHS Appropriations provides more than $3.7 billion for
    Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This bill includes funding for 100
    new Immigration Enforcement Agents and 250 criminal investigators. By
    funding more than 1,900 additional beds in our detention facilities,
    this bill allows us to hold more non-Mexican illegal immigrants while
    we process them through a program called expedited removal. Putting
    more non-Mexican illegal immigrants through expedited removal is
    crucial to ending the problem of "catch and release." The goal is
    clear: to return every single illegal entrant - with no exceptions.
  þ DHS Funding Will Help Interior Repatriation Of Illegal Mexican
    Immigrants. Most of the 900,000 illegal immigrants from Mexico who are
    caught each year are immediately escorted back across the border, but
    can sneak right back into the country. One part of the solution is a
    program called interior repatriation - where we fly or bus them all the
    way back to their home towns, making it more difficult to turn around
    and cross back into the United States. Our goal is to break the cycle
    of illegal border crossings, end the violence associated with human
    smuggling, and save lives.

Because Enforcement Alone Will Not Work, The President Has Proposed
Comprehensive Immigration Reform. If an employer has a job that no American
will take, we need a way to fill that demand by matching willing employers
with willing workers from a foreign country on a temporary and legal basis.
The best way to fill that demand is with a temporary worker program that
gives the workers we need a legal and honest way to come into our country -
and return home. Worksite enforcement will be a critical part of any
program, and this bill strengthens enforcement by adding new agents and
doubling their resources. By reducing pressure on our border and offering a
legal path for those willing to work, the Federal government can
concentrate on apprehending those who violate our laws and pose the
greatest risk to our security.

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