FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Isakson Praises Measure to Fund Improved Border Security
'Only way to secure our borders is with the commitment of appropriations’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today praised a pending amendment to the emergency supplemental spending bill that would beef up funding for border security. Isakson has said repeatedly that Congress must commit to securing the U.S. borders as the first step of any immigration reform.

“The only way to secure our borders is not with promises of authorizations but with the commitment of appropriations,” Isakson said on the Senate floor today. “This amendment is, without question, the most significant component to the issue of illegal immigration and gaining control of our borders.”  

The amendment was offered by Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and would add approximately $1.9 billion to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for additional border security measures, including the replacement of border patrol vehicles, the addition of border sensor and surveillance technology, as well as improvements for the Coast Guard to patrol our nation’s ports. The amendment also includes funds for air operations, including unmanned aerial vehicles. The Gregg amendment is expected to be voted on this week, and Isakson will support it.

Three weeks ago during the Senate debate on immigration reform legislation, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on Isakson’s amendment prohibiting the implementation of any new guest worker program until significant border security enhancements have been made. The Senate just returned from a two-week recess and is expected to resume the immigration debate in May.

“If we don’t secure the borders first, then there’s no way whatsoever we can have true meaningful immigration reform legislation,” Isakson said today.

Isakson believes it is critical to secure the borders before implementing a new guest worker program because otherwise the United States will face a repeat of 1986, when amnesty was granted to 3 million illegal immigrants without enhancing border security first. The result, Isakson said, was that millions more immigrants have flooded into the United States illegally and now are straining our schools, our hospitals and our local jails.

On Feb. 22, Isakson led a Congressional delegation to the U.S.-Mexico border, which included stops in San Diego, Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and Manzanillo, Mexico. In Arizona, Isakson viewed the one and only unmanned aerial vehicle operated by Customs and Border Protection. This one vehicle is flown along the border and can detect individuals trying to come across the border illegally. The border protection agents then use the signals from this detection system to catch these illegal immigrants and to stop them from entering the U.S. On the border at San Diego, Isakson was present when scanners detected a pickup truck with a false bed concealing 13 illegals.                                                   

In March, Isakson introduced legislation to provide increased manpower, equipment and technology to secure the U.S. border and stop the influx of illegal immigration. His legislation includes more than $450 million to acquire and maintain a squadron of at least 25 unmanned aerial vehicles with high-tech sensors and satellite communication. This would allow coverage on the border by an unmanned vehicle 24 hours a day. Currently, there is only one unmanned aerial vehicle operating along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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