SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS RELEASES STATEMENT ON IMMIGRATION REFORM LEGISLATION
WASHINGTON, DC-- By a vote of 62 to 36, the U.S. Senate has approved an Immigration Reform Bill. Senator Collins voted in support of the legislation and released this statement:
“The need to secure our borders and to address the problem of illegal immigration is one of the most pressing issues facing our country today. Illegal immigration presents a significant security risk and raises issues of fundamental fairness.
“The Immigration Reform bill approved by the Senate is by no means a perfect bill, but it does include important provisions that will help strengthen the security of our borders. Meaningful reform is not complete if our borders continue to be susceptible to frequent illegal crossings.
“The bill would also provide additional tools to help our border officials combat alien smuggling, secure the land borders, enforce internal immigration laws, and provide for a legal temporary worker program.
“In addition, the bill also includes a provision that I worked on with Senator Coleman that would make identification required under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative more accessible and affordable. Many Mainers rely on the ability to quickly and easily cross the border
to access essential services, travel to their jobs, attend church, and visit family and friends. It is critical that we strike a balance between the security of our nation’s borders and the free flow of commerce and travel to and from the United States.
“I voted in favor of this legislation because improving border security is a priority, and this bill should proceed to conference where it is my hope that further improvements will be made.”
Highlights of the bill are as follows:
- It includes a provision coauthored by Senator Collins that would increase the types of identification documents to satisfy the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), or “passport rule” and ensure that such documents are available and affordable. The amendment would extend the implementation from January 1, 2008 to June 1, 2009 and it would limit the cost of the documents to $34 over 10 years, and it would waive the fee for children under age 18;
- An amendment offered by Senator Collins to address the shortage of visas currently available for some minor league athletes. The amendment would expand the P-1 visa program, which is currently only available to major league athletes of teams recognized at an international level, to include athletes that play on high-level amateur teams such as the Lewiston MAINEiacs and the Portland Sea Dogs;
- The bill also authorizes as much funding as is necessary to implement the acquisition of unmanned aerial vehicles, cameras, poles, sensors and other technologies to achieve operational control of the borders, and to construct all-weather roads and add vehicle barriers along the borders.
