Kyl Joins Bush at Signing of Homeland Security Bill

Aggressive Border Enforcement ˜Need Not Wait for Comprehensive Immigration Reform WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jon Kyl joined President Bush at the White House on October 18 at the signing of the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, calling its border and immigration provisions a major step toward securing our border with Mexico. The new law includes funding for a host of initiatives that Kyl has long pushed for Arizona, as part of nearly $9 billion for securing the nations borders, of which $1.7 billion is targeted for staffing between ports of entry and the hiring of 1,000 new Border Patrol agents (in addition to funding already in place for another 500 agents and other resources). The law also provides $1.4 billion for new detention capacity, which, combined with the expansion of expedited removal authority, will help end the frustrating practice of having to release detainees into the United States simply for lack of a place to keep them while they await processing for removal, said Kyl, who first learned of this problem in a hearing of his Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security, and worked with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to resolve it. The law also includes funding for a variety of other Kyl-sponsored projects, including: § A total of $1.3 billion dedicated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations and intelligence programs, including 250 additional investigators who will help enforce worksite and other immigration laws. Of that funding, $536 million will help support and expand air and marine capabilities across U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations, including $20 million for new helicopters. § About $35 million for the construction of tactical infrastructure along the Arizona border, such as roads, barriers and lights. These investments, known as force multipliers, will dramatically improve the Border Patrols ability to reach and provide coverage of the more remote sections of the desert. They will be augmented by the construction of new Border Patrol stations in Willcox and Sonoita, providing bases for operations as well as processing and detention facilities. § A total of $3.3 billion is included for first responder grants and assistance under the Office for Domestic Preparedness, including: § $40 million for grants to States to implement the REAL ID Act of 2005, which standardizes requirements for state-issued drivers licenses and makes them harder to counterfeit; § $1.3 billion in grants to support state, local and urban governments efforts to equip, train and exercise personnel and assess their levels of emergency preparedness; § $400 million for local law enforcement grants related to terrorism prevention; and § $655 million in grants for upgrades and improvements for local firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and other first responders. The law also sets aside $340 million to continue the development of US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US VISIT), which Kyl originally co-sponsored in 1996. Although implementation of this program has been more complicated than expected, the technology involved holds great promise for providing quicker, more reliable identification of those crossing the border and monitoring their departure status, Kyl said. The lesson weve learned is that we dont have to wait to move more aggressively to control our borders while we are working on comprehensive immigration reform like the legislation I have introduced, Kyl said. This new funding will provide desperately- needed resources for border security. Theres much more work to be done, but its a solid start.