Here is a letter I recieved both through e-mail and regular mail from Rick Renzi



Thank you for contacting me concerning Immigration reform and the
security of our borders. This issue represents an urgent threat to our
national security and the livelihood of Americans, both of which I am
committed to defending.

I will continue to fight in Washington for resources necessary to
protect our borders. While, in the long term, Congress must address the
issue of immigration reform, our first priority must be to take quick
action to secure our borders to stop the flow of drug and human smugglers
into the United States.

To that end, In December 2005, the House passed the Border Protection,
Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437).
This legislation combats the hiring of illegal workers by providing
employers with a reliable method to determine whether employees are
legally eligible to work. It also allows for the swift removal of illegal
aliens after apprehension.

Included in the legislation is a pilot project I drafted called "Red
Zone Defense." This program calls for the Border Patrol to use cutting
edge technology along the Arizona border. These new tools will allow
the Border Patrol to see into Mexico and be more effective in their
apprehension and prevention activities. This technology, which includes
aerostat balloons and infrared sensors, is currently being used with
success in Afghanistan and Iraq to track insurgents before they engage in
cross border operations.

This legislation also contains an amendment I offered which mandates
that all uniforms procured for use by Border Patrol agents are to be made
in the United States. This mandate would minimize the possibility that
these uniforms could be procured by smugglers, terrorists or others who
pose great risk to our agents. Our Border Patrol Agents need to be
secure in the knowledge that when they are on the border, their uniforms
will not be used against them.

Recently there was an article in the Washington Times regarding Mexican
military incursions across the United States border. These reports of
Mexican military units providing armed escorts to drug and human
smuggling operations represent narco-terror in its purest form. Our borders
are under attack by sophisticated organizations that have no qualms
about firing upon our border patrol units.

In a letter to the State Department dated January 17th , I asked
Secretary Rice to direct the Department of State to investigate such
incursions. These incursions are a blatant disregard for international law and
something must be done. Groups like Humane Borders are only augmenting
the problem by providing detailed maps of the Arizona border to better
the chances of survival for illegal immigrants

These incursions highlight the changing nature of the border security
issue. As we get tougher and more committed, so do the organizations
that smuggle death and terror across our borders. It is time for a new
strategy. States like Arizona should be able to supplement federal
border enforcement with federally financed state border guard units. Border
States are tired of waiting for a secure border. States have a better
ability to react quickly to these new border threats because the federal
government is unable to graduate enough new agents from its academies
to meet this growing problem.

Please be assured that the issue of securing our borders will be a
priority for me during the second session of the 109th Congress. First we
must secure our borders, then we can focus our attention on
implementing immigration policies. Thank you for your letter, please feel free to
contact me in the future with any issue of importance to you.


Sincerely,

Rick Renzi
United States Congressman
First District of Arizona