Dear __ _______:

Thank you for contacting me regarding our nation’s border security. I welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.

Texas is a state that uniquely benefits from the contributions of legal immigrants, but it is also vulnerable to the dangers of illegal immigration. Since I was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1993, my principles have been clear and consistent: we must secure our borders. I began the effort to double the number of border patrol agents early in 1995 and have continued to provide resources for border security, barriers, and additional personnel since then.

In the fiscal year (FY) 2006 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, I strongly supported provisions for an additional $1.9 billion in immediate funding for border security to cover the first 1,000 of 6,000 new Border Patrol agents hired this year and in 2008. These funds assisted with the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops aiding the Border Patrol with surveillance and logistics, and I worked to include $274 million to fund additional U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators, and 168 detention officers in the FY 2005 Emergency Defense Supplemental Appropriations bill.

This bill also included 1,950 detention beds and $4 million for officers training programs. In the FY 2002 Treasury and General Government Appropriations bill, I secured pay increases and bonuses for Border Patrol agents, which helped spur recruitment.

Not only do we need to increase the Border Patrol’s capabilities, but the federal government must also work to stem the tide of illegal immigration. To that end, the administration has finally ended catch and release and accelerated the deportation process, an action I have advocated for years.

H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, was introduced by Representative Peter King (R-NY) on September 13, 2006 and signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2006. This legislation directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide at least two layers of reinforced fencing and install additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors within 18 months of enactment. The exact location of the barriers along the Texas-Mexico border would be mandated by Congress. Although I expressed reservations about members of Congress who have never even visited Texas dictating where the fence will be built, I voted in favor of the Secure Fence Act because the border is so porous and we needed immediate action. I did, however, receive pledges from leaders of Congress to revisit granting border patrol agents and local officials more flexibility in determining fencing locations.

As the fence was being constructed, border patrol agents combating illegal activity on our Texas border asked me to work to give them more flexibility. Their first-hand accounts of drug runners and coyotes moving their routes while our agents were bound by Congressional mandates convinced me to redouble my efforts. To address these concerns, I introduced an amendment to require consultation with local officials and border patrol agents. This amendment passed three times as part of the FY 2008 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act on July 26, 2007, and the FY 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations Act on October 3, 2007. The language was also included in the omnibus appropriations bill that was signed into law on December 26, 2007. It does not require agreement; it only requires consultation with local officials.

You may be certain I will keep your views in mind as I continue to work to improve the flaws in our current immigration system. More needs to be done to secure our borders, and I continue to seek additional emergency spending to immediately address this national security issue.

I appreciate hearing from you and hope you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison