Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

Floor Speech

ALIEN SMUGGLING AND TERRORISM PREVENTION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - May 22, 2007)

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Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my friend Mr. Hill's bill to get tough on criminals who undermine our Nation's safety.

Mr. Speaker, the Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act is a commonsense bill whose time is overdue. This legislation clarifies current law and would more severely punish those criminals who smuggle illegal aliens into our country, lengthening the amount of time they would have to be imprisoned and providing strong new sentences for those who assist terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Hill's bill recognizes that there must be real penalties for people who break our laws. When it comes to our immigration policies, we first need to prove to Americans that we can secure our borders against intruders and provide strong enforcement of existing laws. We need to get law enforcement and Federal agents all the tools they need to do their jobs effectively.

We should provide the resources and technology our businesses need to better verify the citizenship of potential employees and crack down on employers who knowingly flout workplace laws. We must not provide amnesty for those who have broken our laws. And, Mr. Speaker, I regret that the recent proposal on comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate does not appear to have passed these tests.

I strongly urge my colleagues today to vote for H.R. 2399.

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