August 6, 2010

Washington, DC – Nevada Senator Harry Reid today made the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed the Border Security Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, providing $600 million to boost the security of our nation’s borders.

“I applaud my colleagues for working in a bipartisan fashion to unanimously pass legislation that boosts funding to protect our national security and ensure our borders are secure.  We need to work in the same spirit of cooperation to enact comprehensive immigration reform that builds on this effort to secure our borders, cracks down on unscrupulous employers, and requires that those here illegally get right with the law, learn English, pay taxes, pass criminal background checks, and go to the back of the line.”

Following is a breakdown of the border security funding:

• Additional Funding for Border Personnel ($254 million)
• $176 million for 1,000 new Border Patrol agents to form a “strike force” to be deployed at areas most needed
• $39 million for Customs and Border Protection (to keep current levels of officers)
• $29 million for 250 new Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry
• $10 million for investigators to stop corruption in border patrol and customs and border protection
• $14 million for communication equipment for new officers
• $32 million to deploy unmanned aerial vehicle surveillance (i.e. drones) on border
• $6 million to deploy forward operating bases along the border (as opposed to using current bases that are 100 miles away)
• Additional Funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ($80 million)
• $30 million for border interdiction
• $50 million for 250 new ICE personnel, including special agents, intelligence analysts, and support personnel
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center ($8 million)
• Federal Judiciary resources for increased caseload ($10 million)
• Additional Funding For the Department of Justice ($196 million)
• U.S. Attorneys and other legal expenses along border ($13 million)
• U.S Marshals along border ($8 million)
• Interagency Crime and Drug Law enforcement along border ($21 million)
• Border processing of apprehended drug dealers and human traffickers ($7 million)
• FBI along border ($24 million)
• DEA along border ($34 million)
• ATF along border ($37 million)
• Federal Prison System for Immigrant Criminals ($20 million)
• Administrative Review and Appeals expediting along border ($2.1 million)

Border Funding is Fully Offset by Fees on Companies That Offshore High-Paying American Jobs

• The bill raises fees on H-1B visas (for temporary skilled workers) for companies who have more than 50 percent of their employees on H-1B visas (this does not affect U.S. tech companies).
• The bill also raises fees on L visas (given to multi-national transferees) for foreign companies.  The L visa is often used by foreign companies to circumvent the requirements of the H-1B visa.

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