No, Senator. You are not alarmed "like me." I wish you were.
July 25, 2014
Dear Ms. Bruce:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the illegal migration of unaccompanied children from Central America across the U.S.-Mexico border. I appreciate hearing from you.
Like you, I am alarmed by the influx of unaccompanied children, which is overwhelming our nation's border facilities and resources and creating a humanitarian crisis. Many of these children are being raped, beaten, or abused by their smugglers during their dangerous journey to the United States, and we need to act now to stop this migration. I support legislation that would make it easier to send unaccompanied minors back to their home countries as quickly and safely as possible. I am cosponsoring the Children Returning on an Expedited and Safe Timeline (CREST) Act, which would change current law to require the mandatory, expedited return of unaccompanied children, expand the capacity of immigration courts to reduce case backlogs, establish requirements to ensure individuals appear at court proceedings, set conditions on foreign aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and penalize smugglers. The Senate should consider this legislation as soon as possible to effectively address the ongoing crisis.
You may be interested to know that on July 9, I questioned Customs and Border Protection and law enforcement officials about this issue at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing focused on the border crisis. The video can be found at the following link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXmxLhjUf6k&feature=youtu.be. I also recently joined senators from both parties in calling on the president to clarify U.S. immigration laws and work with our foreign counterparts in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to stop this migration.
The combination of a porous border and lax immigration enforcement has made the United States a magnet for illegal immigration, and the status quo - with millions of illegal immigrants living in our country without any consequences - amounts to de facto amnesty and is unacceptable. That is why I supported legislation last year that would finally secure our borders and fix our broken immigration system. It includes sweeping border security and enforcement provisions, and it would double the number of border agents at the southern border, double the amount of border fencing, and ensure that the most advanced border surveillance and security technology is in place to prevent future waves of illegal immigration. The bill also requires full implementation of an electronic entry-exit system to monitor, deports those who have overstayed their visa, and mandates that all employers use E-Verify to ensure that our workforce is here legally.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. As your Senator, it is important for me to hear from you regarding the current issues affecting New Hampshire and our nation. Please do not hesitate to be in touch again if I may be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Kelly A. Ayotte
U. S. Senator
