Garrett Votes to Continue to Secure Our Borders

Washington, D.C. – Last week, Congressman Scott Garrett voted in favor of three important pieces of legislation designed to enhance security at our nation’s borders by providing law enforcement with the requisite tools and authority to enforce immigration laws.

“We must secure our borders first and foremost. Until we do, all talk about tinkering with other aspect of U.S. immigration policy is premature,� said Garrett. “The focus in the illegal immigration debate needs to be on the word illegal, not the word immigration. I supported these three bills today because of the immediate impact they would have on fixing this problem and making our country more secure.�

The three bills, all of which passed the House, include:

•The Community Protection Act of 2006 (H.R.6094), which provides for the deportation of alien criminals and the detainment of dangerous aliens who cannot be deported

•The Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006 (H.R. 6095), which provides for greater prosecution of those who smuggle illegal aliens and also affirms state and local law enforcement’s authority to enforce immigration laws

•The Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2006 (H.R. 4830), which makes it a crime to build or finance border tunnels that pose serious breaches in security along our borders.

These votes follow Garrett’s support earlier this month of the Secure Fence Act (H.R. 6061), which authorizes the construction of a 700-mile reinforced fence along our nation’s southwest border. The bill also requires the Department of Homeland security to employ a “virtual fence,� consisting of cameras, ground sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles, along the entire border.

“My top priority since coming to Congress has been ensuring the safety and security of our nation,� Garrett stated. “These important pieces of legislation will allow for great strides in enhancing the security of our borders.�