Text 4643, 136 rader
Skriven 2007-05-23 23:31:04 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0705232) for Wed, 2007 May 23
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Fact Sheet: A Record of Achievement on Border Security and Worksite
Enforcement
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 23, 2007

Fact Sheet: A Record of Achievement on Border Security and Worksite
Enforcement Bush Administration Has Increased Border Security And Cracked
Down On Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal Aliens

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Immigration

"This border should be open to trade and lawful immigration, and shut down
to criminals and drug dealers and terrorists and coyotes and smugglers,
people who prey on innocent life. _ We more than doubled the funding for
border security since I've been the President. _ And I want to thank
Congress for working on this issue. The funding is increasing manpower. The
additional funding is increasing infrastructure, and it's increasing
technology."

- President George W. Bush, U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Station Headquarters,
4/9/07

Three Key Points About The Bush Administration's Border Security And
Worksite Enforcement Achievements
 1. Since The President Took Office In 2001, The Administration Has More
    Than Doubled Funding For Border Security _ From $4.6 Billion In 2001 To
    $10.4 Billion In 2007.
 2. As A Result Of This Investment And Other Deterrence Factors, The Number
    Of People Apprehended For Illegally Crossing Our Southern Border Is
    Down By Nearly 27 Percent In 2007 From This Point In 2006.
 3. Immigration And Customs Enforcement (ICE) Has Replaced The Old System
    Of Administrative Hearings And Fines With A Much Tougher Combination Of
    Criminal Prosecutions And Asset Forfeitures _ A Much More Aggressive
    Approach Toward Cracking Down On Employers Who Knowingly Hire Illegal
    Aliens. This has resulted in a significant increase in arrests for
    criminal violations brought in worksite enforcement actions.

Increased Border Security Is Helping Deter Illegal Immigration

The Administration Has Expanded The Border Patrol From Approximately 9,000
Agents In 2001 To More Than 13,000 Agents Today. By the end of 2008, there
will be a total of more than 18,000 agents, doubling the size of the Border
Patrol under the President's leadership.

In Addition To Increasing Manpower, The Administration Is Improving
Infrastructure And Technology At The Border. Today, there are in place:
  þ Thousands of ground sensors;
  þ Hundreds of day and night cameras;
  þ 86 miles of primary fencing, part of 370 miles planned by the end of
    calendar year 2008;
  þ Over 350 miles of improved patrol roads;
  þ 78 miles of permanent vehicle barrier;
  þ 4 Ground Surveillance Radars (GSR); and
  þ 1 Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) in Southern AZ with another coming on
    line in July of this year.

As Upgrades Are Completed At The Border, National Guard Members Are
Supporting The Border Patrol In Texas, California, Arizona, And New Mexico
Under Operation Jump Start. As the Administration continues building up the
Border Patrol, Operation Jump Start is providing complementary manpower on
the border, allowing the Border Patrol to move more than 560 agents from
support roles into frontline positions.
  þ Since The Launch Of Operation Jump Start In June 2006, National Guard
    Members Have Assisted The Border Patrol In Apprehending More Than
    72,000 Illegal Immigrants And Seizing More Than 195,000 Pounds Of
    Illegal Drugs.

The Administration Has Effectively Ended The Practice Of "Catch And
Release" For Every Non-Mexican Apprehended At Our Borders.
  þ The Administration Has Added Thousands Of New Beds At Detention Centers
    Across The Country. Since the President took office, the Administration
    has provided funding for 7,798 new beds to accommodate apprehended
    illegal immigrants _ a 40 percent increase over 2001.
  þ The Administration Has Expedited The Legal Process To Reduce The Time
    Non-Mexican Illegal Aliens Remain In Detention Awaiting Deportation By
    About Half.

The Administration Is Holding Employers Accountable For The Workers They
Hire

Arrests For Criminal Violations Brought In Worksite Enforcement Actions _
The Most Effective Means Of Enforcement And Best Measure Of ICE's New
Approach _ Have Increased Significantly. These criminal arrests have
increased from 24 in FY 1999 to a record 716 in FY 2006 _ a nearly 2900
percent increase. There have been 588 criminal arrests since the beginning
of FY 2007.

During The First Half Of FY 2007, ICE Obtained Criminal Fines,
Restitutions, And Civil Judgments In Worksite Enforcement Investigations
Against Egregious Violators In Excess Of $29 Million.

In April 2006, ICE Carried Out The Largest Single Worksite Enforcement
Action Ever Taken Against An Employer. Seven current and former managers of
an international logistics service provider were charged with harboring
aliens and document fraud, and 1,187 unlawfully employed illegal aliens
were arrested.

In Today's News: "Suspected Illegals Arrested In Raid"

Springfield [MO] News-Leader: More Than 100 Poultry Workers Accused Of ID
Theft. "More than 100 employees at a large poultry processing plant in
Butterfield were arrested Tuesday based on allegations they used stolen
identities to work in the country illegally. Armed U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agents rounded up all employees during the morning
shift Tuesday _ and checked them one by one." (Wes Johnson, "Suspected
Illegals Arrested In Raid," Springfield [MO] News-Leader, 5/23/07)
  þ ICE Special Agent Pete Baird: "These Worksite Enforcement Actions Help
    Reduce The Job Magnet That Encourages Aliens To Enter The Country
    Illegally."

The Joplin [MO] Globe:"The Arrests Were The Latest Action In An Ongoing
Investigation." "According to the immigration agency, the U.S. attorney for
the Western District of Missouri already has charged five people who
previously had been arrested, convicted or pleaded guilty in separate cases
to Social Security fraud, making a false claim of U.S. citizenship,
aggravated identity theft and/or being an illegal immigrant in possession
of a firearm." (Melissa Dunson, "Raid At Poultry Plant Results In More Than
100 Arrests," The Joplin [MO] Globe, 5/23/07)

The Associated Press:"Federal Agents Have Conducted Several Mass Arrests
Since The April 2006 Raids _ At 40 Sites Nationwide." "Nearly 3,000
suspected illegal workers have been arrested in dozens of states in all."
("100 Suspected Illegal Workers Arrested In Mo.," The Associated Press,
5/23/07)

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