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CONTACT: Amy Auth
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United States Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.-5) has implored fellow Members of Congress to continue the fight to stop the growth of illegal immigration. She made the following remarks on the House floor this evening:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues in this Congress to continue fighting illegal immigration in our great country.

“My Republican colleagues were joined by 42 sensible Democrats to make great strides toward securing our borders by enacting the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission with the passage of the REAL-ID Act.

“As a freshman Member of this House, I am honored to have played a role in that process. However, Mr. Speaker, more still can and must be done to secure our borders and combat illegal immigration.

“The terrorist attacks on our homeland highlighted the potential disastrous effects of porous borders and the need to bolster border security.

“The problem of illegal immigration also has additional far-reaching dangerous effects. Ultimately, it punishes all who follow the laws and processes of the United States.

“Immigration affects virtually every aspect of life in America. With more than a million legal and illegal immigrants settling in the United States each year, a level higher than any other time during our nation’s history, immigration has an impact on education, health care, social security, taxes, employment, the environment, crime and countless other areas of American life.

“Mr. Speaker, I sympathize with those who desperately wish to live the American dream here, on American soil. I understand their desire for liberty, free markets, and guaranteed rights. The demand for access to America is a resounding testament to the greatness of our Nation.

“However, immigration laws exist to provide the necessary steps for safe and legal entry into this country. We have an immigration process in place that simply must be followed.

“ILLEGAL immigration must be stopped, but we cannot and should not close our doors to those who wish to enter the country legally.

“We must increase our efforts at achieving closed borders with open, guarded doors.”

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