"Every parent knows that when a baby takes its first steps, the moment is both a proud one and slightly scary.  As the baby grows, so does our responsibility for it and the need to establish positive rules and boundaries.  Parenting is no easy task and neither is shaping a new idea in law.

 

September 11th changed the face and the mission of the U.S. intelligence community forever.  In Part One of American Intelligence Reform, a brand new cabinet-level agency, the Department of Homeland Security, was created to fight terrorism and protect Americans everywhere.  This legislation accomplished several important, immediate goals: the reorganization of our intelligence agencies; better coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement; more funding for essential equipment; and separation of American immigration services into service and enforcement agencies.

As the Department of Homeland Security took its first steps and the 9-11 Commission
investigated an act of war on American soil, Congress realized that intelligence reform would be a long process.  The first Director of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, led our new system of national defense.  His tenure has been successful by the only measurement that counts – the fact that we have not been attacked by terrorists on our own soil since 2001.

 

As Secretary Ridge steps down from his post, the stage is set for Intelligence Reform, Part Two.

 

With the recommendations of the Commission complete, Congress proposed sweeping legislation.  I voted for the bill, which passed in Congress, because it eliminates many weaknesses in Homeland Security.  For the first time, the Director of Homeland Security will have the help of a Director of National Intelligence.  A National Counter Terrorism Center will be established to coordinate counter-terrorism intelligence and strategic operational planning. The bill expedites the prosecution and deportation of suspected terrorists.  Most importantly, however, the bill provides new leadership to formerly fractured, redundant, and uncooperative intelligence agencies.

But this bill is incomplete, and it will require much more work on the part of Congress.

Every American, and I can only assume every terrorist who threatens our nation, knows that our national defense is only as strong as our weakest link.  In our case, the weak link is our borders – which should instead be one of the first lines of defense against these new threats.  Given the choice, a terrorist would much rather cross our loosely-guarded borders under cover of night than face the bottleneck of screeners, security, and scrutiny in any of our nation’s airports.

 

The bill just passed by Congress will do some good in this vital area.  The number of border patrol agents will be doubled.  Immigration officials will have greater authority to detain and deport illegal aliens.  Better documentation will be required from entrants – even those with proof of U.S. citizenship – at U.S. borders.  But these changes are not complete enough to make our nation secure.

 

Intelligence Reform, Part Three will begin as soon as Congress reconvenes this month.  I will be a strong advocate for immediate legislation to address the immigration shortfalls in our Homeland Security.

 

First and foremost, we must crack down on illegal immigration.  We must close loopholes, like the ones that enable immigrants to retain a valid U.S. drivers license if their visa expires and they remain in America illegally.  Our drivers licenses and passports are only as strong as the underlying documents that are used to obtain them.  In addition, we must require that visitors to our nation prove that their presence here is lawful.  And we must close the gaps in our borders as completely as possible, especially the three-mile hole in the U.S./Mexico border fence near San Diego.

 

Oversights like these are dangerous to our national security, and I will work to see them
addressed.

Just like a child, our national intelligence community is reaching the age when it ought to know better.  We in Congress have a grave responsibility to be certain that it does.”

                              

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