The following is an email I received from Sen. Lindsey Graham touting his amendments to the Immigration Bill. Note it is addressed to Dear Friend so evidently I have mistakenly been placed on an "upset over amnesty and illegal immigration" list somewhere in his data base and I am sure he has no idea who I am. I decided, instead of trashing the email, to answer it. After all, he did have someone go to the trouble of adding my name to a list of friends to be informed.
From: Senator@lgraham.senate.gov [mailto:Senator@lgraham.senate.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 11:08 AM
To: sclib@bellsouth.net
Subject: Graham Amendment: Border Security Act
Dear Friend:
I know from our previous communication that you are greatly concerned about immigration reform and the impact illegal immigrants are having on our nation. There is no doubt that we must get a handle on this pressing problem.
While the comprehensive approach to reforming our nation's broken immigration system failed in the Senate last month, the problems posed by illegal immigration have not gone away. There remain at least half a dozen major changes in policy we have to make as a nation to get the problems of illegal immigration under control.
I am pleased to report last week our nation took a major step forward in securing our nation's borders. We began the process of addressing our illegal immigration problem one piece at-a-time. The Senate, by a vote of 89-1, accepted an amendment I introduced to spend $3 billion on Border Security and Interior Enforcement.
Many of these provisions were contained in the Senate immigration bill as well as the Graham-Kyl-Martinez amendment which were debated last month.
My proposal -- the Graham Amendment -- provides and requires:
The U.S. government to establish and demonstrate operational control over 100 percent of the international land and maritime borders between the U.S. and Mexico .
Funding to construct the 700 miles of fencing required by the Secure Fence Act.
Funding for the hiring, training, and placing on duty 23,000 Customs and Border Patrol agents.
Permanently ends 'Catch and Release' by providing the resources necessary to detain up to 45,000 aliens per day.
Funding for 300 miles of vehicle barriers at the border.
Funding for 105 ground-based radar and camera towers.
Funding for the deployment of 4 unmanned aerial vehicles at the border.
Funding to handle the deportation of absconders and visa overstays.
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