“My constituents are fed up with porous borders, lax enforcement, and excuses about why the federal government is unable or unwilling to ensure immigrants entering our country are legal,” Shuster said to his colleagues on the House floor while the bill was debated. 

H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, will prevent unlawful entry by bolstering Border Patrol, building fences and adding surveillance capabilities.  The legislation adds 1,000 new full-time port of entry inspectors over the next four years and will begin the training of 1,500 additional K-9 units.  State of the art technology, including cameras, sensors, radar, satellite and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, will be further implemented into protecting our borders. 

“Mr. Speaker, this bill’s time has come. We cannot continue to allow overwhelming numbers of illegal immigrants to flood our communities without any scrutiny.  I urge all of my colleagues to support this common-sense approach that will combat illegal immigration and strengthen our border security,” Shuster added on the House floor. 

This year alone nearly 115,000 illegal aliens from countries other than Mexico have been apprehended by the Border Patrol only to be released due to a lack of detention space.  This practice, known as “catch and release,” presents an obvious danger to our nation’s homeland security.  Under this legislation, however, all illegal immigrants picked up for attempted illegal entry will be detained starting October 1, 2006.  They will be held until their removal from the country. 

H.R. 4437 requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to take immediate action to address the lack of coordination and communication between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  The measure passed the House 239 – 182 and similar proposals are being debated in the Senate.