1 Improving Border Security And Immigration

2 The Administration Continues Its Efforts To Strengthen Border Security, Improve

Interior And Worksite Enforcement, Streamline Existing Guest Worker Programs, And
Help New Americans Assimilate
3
4 On January 28, 2008, during his State of the Union address, President Bush
reviewed the steps his Administration is taking to improve our border security and
address immigration challenges. America's broken immigration system is a major
problem that the American people expect their elected leaders to solve. Although
Congress has not passed legislation to address the immigration challenges our
Nation faces, the Administration continues to build upon progress we have already
made in strengthening border security, enforcing our worksite laws, keeping our
economy well-supplied with vital workers, and helping new Americans assimilate
into our society. Yet the President will also urge that in order to take the
pressure off the border, we need a new way for foreign workers to come here
lawfully, on a temporary basis, and support our economy.
5
6 The Administration Is Strengthening Border Security With Additional Personnel,
Technology And Infrastructure
7
8 The Administration has increased funding for border security and immigration
enforcement by 159 percent, including emergency funds, since the President took
office - from $4.8 billion in 2001 to $12.3 billion in 2008.
9
10 The Administration has expanded the Border Patrol from approximately 9,000 agents
in 2001 to more than 15,000 agents today. By the end of 2008, we will have more
than 18,000 agents, doubling the size of the Border Patrol under the President's
leadership.
11
12 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is on track to complete 370 miles of
pedestrian fencing along the southwest border by the end of calendar year 2008.
As of this month, we have completed a total of 165 miles of pedestrian fence along
the southwest border, giving us a total of 290 miles of pedestrian and vehicle
fence already in place at the border. We expect to have 670 total miles of
pedestrian and vehicle fence by the end of 2008, and have begun obtaining land to
make this a reality.
13
14 The Administration is including a new Southwest Border Enforcement Initiative in
its 2009 Budget. This comprehensive Justice Department initiative will provide
$100 million to help address the rise in crime and immigration cases on the
southwest border. It will increase our ability to arrest, detain, prosecute, and
house violent criminals, drug offenders, and immigration violators along the
southwest border.
15
16 DHS is operating three Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) along the southern border in
support of border security operations. An additional UAS is scheduled to be
operational this year.
17
18 DHS saw a reduction of 20 percent in apprehensions of illegal aliens at the
Southern border in Fiscal Year 2007. This is an indication that stronger border
security and enforcement efforts have deterred aliens from attempting to cross the
border illegally.
19
20 The Administration has effectively ended the policy of "catch and release" and now
detains all removable aliens caught trying to cross the border until they can be
removed. For years, limited detention space forced the release of many illegal
border crossers from nations other than Mexico with nothing more than a Notice to
Appear for a hearing before an immigration judge. Many aliens ignored these
notices and instead blended into U.S. society. The Administration has effectively
ended this policy of "catch and release" and replaced it with a policy of "catch
and return," ensuring that all removable aliens caught trying to cross the border
illegally are held until they can be removed.
21
22 The Administration will end the decades old practice of allowing U.S. and Canadian
citizens to enter the country at our land and sea ports of entry with merely an
oral declaration of identity and citizenship. Beginning January 31, 2008, all
cross-border travelers must present documents establishing their identity and
citizenship. This is a precursor to the Congressionally mandated full
implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in June of 2009, at
which time passports or similarly secure documents will be required by all
travelers.
23
24 The Administration Is Continuing To Enhance Interior And Worksite Enforcement
25
26 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has replaced the old approach of
administrative hearings and fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens
with a much tougher combination of criminal prosecutions and asset forfeitures.
27
28 Arrests for criminal violations brought in worksite enforcement actions have
increased from 19 in FY 2001 to 863 in FY 2007 - a more than 45-fold increase.
ICE also made 4,077 administrative arrests in FY 2007, for a total of 4,940 arrests.
29
30
31 In FY 2007, DHS obtained more than $31 million in criminal fines, restitutions and
civil judgments as a result of worksite enforcement.
32
33 E-Verify is helping more than 48,000 companies verify the employment eligibility
of newly hired employees. The number of companies enrolled in E-Verify has more
than quadrupled in 16 months, now representing almost 200,000 business locations.
Currently, 2,000 employers are being added each week. More than 3.7 million new
hires were processed through E-Verify last year alone. As more States like
Arizona require local businesses to use E-Verify, and the Federal government
begins to require Federal contractors to enroll in the program, it will become
increasingly difficult for those here illegally to find work, greatly weakening
the magnet that draws so many people to enter the country illegally. In addition,
E-Verify is a valuable tool in detecting immigration fraud and identity theft.
34
35 DHS has issued a "No-Match" Employment Eligibility Verification regulation to help
employers ensure their workers are legal and help the Government identify and
crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. Unfortunately, this
useful regulation is being held up by litigation. We expect a revised rule to be
finalized and in effect this year.
36
37 In FY 2007, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and ICE returned or removed almost
1.2 million illegal aliens from the United States.
38
39 ICE has increased its enforcement efforts:
40
41 Since 2005, ICE has quintupled the number of teams devoted to removing fugitive
aliens from the U.S. — from 15 Fugitive Operations Teams in 2005 to 75 of these
seven-member teams by the end of FY 2007.
42
43
44 ICE has helped keep our communities safe by arresting 3,302 gang members and their
associates in FY 2007.
45
46
47 ICE has expanded its Criminal Alien Program to identify incarcerated criminal
aliens. In FY 2007, ICE identified for removal 164,296 criminals who were
incarcerated in Federal, state and local facilities.
48 The Administration is training hundreds of State and local law enforcement
officers to address illegal immigration in their communities. The Administration
is maintaining the 287(g) program, which allows State and local officers to
enforce immigration law, and expanding other measures that help State and local
 law enforcement officials. These measures include a broad array of enforcement
tools, such as formal task forces, greater use of the ICE Law Enforcement Support
Center, and enhanced partnerships to address location-specific threats, such as
gangs. The Administration is proposing an increase in funding for this program in
its 2009 Budget.
49
50 The Administration Is Streamlining Existing Guest-Worker Programs To Help Keep Our
Economy Well-Supplied With Vital Workers
51
52 The Department of Labor (DOL) and DHS are prepared to unveil a rule that would
modernize the H-2A agricultural seasonal worker program to better provide farmers
with an orderly and timely flow of legal workers, while protecting the rights of
laborers. No sector of the American economy requires a legal flow of foreign
workers more than agriculture, which is experiencing labor shortages.
53
54 DOL is also working on regulations streamlining the H-2B Program for
non-agricultural seasonal workers.
55
56 DHS and DOL are studying potential administrative reforms to visa programs for
highly skilled workers.
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58 The Administration Is Taking Steps To Help New Americans Assimilate In Order To
Keep Our Nation United
59
60 In September 2007, the DHS Office of Citizenship announced a revised
naturalization test emphasizing the fundamental concepts of American democracy,
basic U.S. history, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This test
is ensuring fairness by eliminating the wide variations in testing quality between
regional offices that plagued the former system.
61
62 The Office of Citizenship is also providing additional training for volunteers and
adult educators who lead immigrants through the naturalization process.