Sec. 2. Findings and declaration of policy
342 words·~2 min read·
/bill/113/hr/5316/ih/section-2·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Congress finds that: An estimated 11,800,000 aliens reside in the United States in contravention of Federal immigration law. The construction of a double-layered fence along the entire Southern Border reduces illegal immigration, decreases cross-border smuggling, and enables the effective deployment of manpower, as demonstrated by the San Diego sector where a fence was built in 2004. Aliens, such as the El Salvadoran national and MS–13 gang members Kevin Fabricio Claros Cantarero and Julio Martinez, have attempted to use applications for asylum in order to reside in the United States.
The closing of Border Patrol stations, such as in June 2011, and failure to deploy the National Guard to assist the Border Patrol, such as during the border crisis of June 2014, impaired the ability of law enforcement to secure the border. The backlog of immigration cases, in which 87 percent of cases where ICE filed Notices to Appear between 2009 to 2014 are still pending in 2014, could be addressed if Congress knew the number of judges needed in immigration courts. Illegal aliens, despite being ineligible, received $4.2 billion in additional child tax credits from the United States Treasury in 2010 by applying with an individual taxpayer identification number.
Aliens have been applying for and receiving public benefits from Federal, State, and local governments in substantially burdensome levels, such as $791.6 million covered by California taxpayers in 2013. The Congress further finds and declares that it serves a compelling government interest of the United States to— establish and regularly evaluate the security at United States borders using the same metric; construct a double-layered fence along the entire Southern Border of the United States; provide adequate manpower for enforcement of immigration laws, sufficient judges to address the backlog in immigration courts, and the appropriate number of beds and facilities to meet immigration detention needs; end the release of dangerous criminal aliens and the likelihood of foreign gang members using refugee and asylee status to reside in the United States; and remove incentives for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits.