Senator Collins' Statement On Final Passage Of Senate Immigration Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Senate today, by a vote of 68-32, gave final approval to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act. Following final passage, Senator Susan Collins released this statement:
"The legislation approved today by the U.S. Senate, in a strong bipartisan vote, would help strengthen our borders, prevent illegal immigrants from getting jobs, and crack down on people who enter our country legally but then overstay their visas. It's not a perfect bill, but it is a step forward in addressing the irrefutable evidence that our immigration and border security systems are broken and in need of substantial reform.
"There are currently an estimated 11 million illegal immigrant living in the United States. The original bill, as drafted by the "Gang of 8," was not sufficient to secure our borders. That is why, during debate of this bill, I voted in favor of amendments, offered by Senators Thune and Grassley, that would have further strengthened border security. The Grassley amendment would have required that the federal government achieve "effective control" over the border before illegal aliens could obtain legal status under the bill. Senator Thune's amendment would have required the Department of Homeland Security to complete 700 miles of double-layered fencing before illegal immigrants could adjust to green card status. As the former Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, I certainly understand the significance of these measures to our national security, and controlling the flow of undocumented individuals across our border. Unfortunately, these amendments were not included in the final bill.
"I am pleased, however, that the bill does contain an amendment, authored by Republican Senators Hoeven and Corker, to strengthen border security provisions. As a result, this bill would now require the Department of Homeland Security to complete 700 miles of fencing and to install and maintain substantial infrastructure, such as ground sensors, surveillance cameras, radiation detectors, and watch towers along the southern border before illegal aliens can become green card holders. It also would require the Department to hire, train, and deploy an additional 20,000 Border Patrol agents on the border between the United States and Mexico - doubling the number of full-time border patrol agents stationed there by 2021. I remain concerned that this unprecedented surge is excessive and enormously expensive and am still hopeful that the House will lower this figure to a more realistic number before any final bill is considered.
"This bill would prevent the Obama Administration from imposing border crossing fees on the northern border. I led the fight against this proposal because such provisions would hurt Maine's economy and impose needless costs on families who live and work on both sides of the northern border. In addition, the bill includes my amendment that requires that the $50 million of funding for the Operation Stonegarden program to continue to be competitively allocated based on an analysis of the risk, threat, vulnerability, and consequences. The original bill would have required 90-percent of this funding be directed to the southern border. The resources that are available through Operation Stonegarden are particularly important in Maine where the border areas are vast and often very rural, making them vulnerable to illegal activities.
"On balance, the bill approved in the Senate today will help strengthen the security of our borders and provide a fair way to deal with the millions of people here illegally, and it would ensure that people who followed the rules are not treated in the same way with respect to securing citizenship as those who did not follow the law."
