Senate Proceeding on May 26th, 2010 :: 5:58:10 to 6:07:45
Total video length: 10 hours 5 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:134 Duration: 0:09:35 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

5:58:08 to 5:58:28( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: quorum call: senator from arizona. mr. kyl: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under quorum call be dispensed with. the presidg officer: without objection. mr. kyl: thank you. mr. president, in a moment, i'm going to talk about both the amendment that has been offered by my colleague, senator mccain, to provide fding for members of the national guard to

5:58:10 to 6:07:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jon Kyl

5:58:29 to 5:58:51( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: be deployed to the border, our southern border with mexico for the purpose of better border security as well as the amendment which i have offered as a second-degree amendment to the cornyn amendment which provides funding for operation streamline, which is the process by which people who are apprehended crossing the border illegally are sent to jail for a

5:58:52 to 5:59:13( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: couple of weeks as a deterrent so that they then don't want to cross in the future because they know they're going to be in jail rather than working someplace for the money that they came to work f. just to explain one thing, i'll -- when there's a member of the m ask unanimous consent to modify -- to modify

5:59:14 to 5:59:35( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: amendment. with a technical modification. but the amendment is the se, and what it does is to provide the sum of $200 million for an additional funding for multiagency law enforcement initiatives -- that's the way that they are described -- for

5:59:36 to 5:59:58( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: the tucson sector of the border and that is roughly the eastern half of the arizona border with mexico. million of that would be available for theepartment of justice for the pup of hiring additional deputy -- purpose of hiring additional deputy martials, for constructing detention space and other related needs of the secretary of homeland security and

5:59:59 to 6:00:19( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: attorney general, and then $45,000vailable -- excuse me, $45 million available to the judiciary for courthouse renovation and administrative support, including judges and court clerks. this is offset and the emergency designation would be appended to it as the modification tt i will submit.

6:00:20 to 6:00:40( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: the purpose of this, mr. president, is to enable the border patrol and the department of justice when illegal immigrants are apprehended crossing the border to present them to court. they are represented. they can enter a

6:00:41 to 6:01:01( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: can waive further proceedings, and for those who, in fact, are found to have crossed the border illegally, to be sent to jailt. ordinarily, -- to jail. ordinarily, it is a two week sentence, if they have done it before, it would be 30 days. some may serve 60 days.

6:01:02 to 6:01:22( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: i'm not sure of that. but the point is where this has been done for almost who crosses the border illegally, it has -- it has created a very effective deterrent to crossing. it becomes apparent to people who are trying to cross in that particul vicinity, if they do

6:01:23 to 6:01:43( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: and they're apprehended, they're going to jail. 17% of the people who come across illegally are criminals. they're wanted for crimes in this country and obviously they don't want to go toaim. for the over -- jail. for the want to go to work, can't make money if they're in jail.

6:01:44 to 6:02:04( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: they can't send money back to el salvador or mexico or wherever they might be. they too want to avoid this result. the effect of this is the yuma border, is that tre is virtually no illegal immigration attempted in that sectoof the border anymore. now, there are some effective

6:02:05 to 6:02:26( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: fences about 11 miles of double fencing. they have sufficient border patrol agents in the area and there are some other factors for the reduction of illegal immigration in that sector. but in the last five years the illegal immigration apprehensions declined from 1 118,500 down to about 5,000 and some. a 94% decrease.

6:02:27 to 6:02:49( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: and the head of the border patrol there and others tell me that one of the primary reasons for that reduction is this it operation streamline. the sure knowledge that if you crossed in that sector, you are going to jail. if we can provide that same kind of deterrent in the tucson sector where about 50% of all illegal immigrants crossing into

6:02:50 to 6:03:10( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: the united states from mexico cross, then we a -- a -- we would have gone a long way toward securing the border. and certainly in my state of arizona, we would have stashly eliminated illegal immigration. you add to that senator mccain, i would provide

6:03:11 to 6:03:31( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: funding for the national guard on the border and i think we can go a long way to securing the border in a relatively short period of time. and so when the president say that's he agrees with us that we do need to secure the border and he proposed some funding for some national guard troops on the border himself, this is, i think, a r

6:03:32 to 6:03:52( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: right way to go. i'd like to make two kick points about senator mccain's amendment. first of all, the president has proposed far fewer numbers than president mccain has proposed -- excuse me, senator mccain has proposed, 6,000 national guard or 3,000 on the

6:03:53 to 6:04:13( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: arizona border ande believe it will take that many in order to accomplish that result. the president's numbers are far fewer. it is unclear exactly from the lack of detail in his proposal, but it appears those will not be literal boots on the ground, but rather these national guard troops will be there for the purpose of training, for

6:04:14 to 6:04:34( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: administrative work and investigatory work and will be back from the border and not actually engaged in the work at the border itself. the importance of is that we are told, at least anecdotally, that the one thing that the people coming across the border fear more than anything else are

6:04:35 to 6:04:56( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: national guard troops. border patrol, they don't like them. they don't le the county sheriff or anybody else. but when it comes to national guard, they don't want anything to do with them. they want to avoid them. this represents a real deterrent. the second thing i wanted to say is there is a letter from the national security adviser and

6:04:57 to 6:05:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: john brennan, the president's intelligence adviser, contending that an interference in the commander in chief's responsibilities because it purports to order national guard troops to the border. mr. president, i want to make it clear, that is not true. this appears to be another case of somebody the administration -- in the

6:05:18 to 6:05:39( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: administration spouting off about a law that they haven't read or in this case the mccain amendment that they haven't read. it's all on one page. it's very easy. here's what it says -- by the way, rember, this is an appropriation bill we have, a supplemental appropriation we are appropriating money.

6:05:40 to 6:06:01( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: that's all the mccain-kyl-hutchison-cornyn amendment does. it says, "additional "amount refers to money, for an additional amount under this chapter for the deployment of not fewer of 6,000 national guard personnel under section 502-f in the states along southern land border of the

6:06:02 to 6:06:22( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: united states for the purpose of assisting u.s. customs and border protection and securing the border, $250 million. and then there's the offsetting rescission. it doesn't order nawrdz to the -- national guards -- troops to the border at all. it simply provides $250 million of additional funding for the

6:06:23 to 6:06:46( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: purpose of guard to the extent, obviously up not fewer the border. so it doesn't order anybody. it doesn't interfere president's commander in keach responsibilities, and for -- commander in chief responsibilities. and for that reason i hope whe we have a chance to vote on this opportunity, and what i would like to ask one of my

6:06:47 to 6:07:08( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: colleagues, when we vote, for the mccain amendment, the kyl amendment, and the cornyn amendment which senator cornyn will describe now. the key is to get it is now 20 minutes until 4:00. cloture has been filed on this bill. it will ripen tomorrow morning. presumably we will have a vote. the question is: will we have a vote on these amendments?

6:07:09 to 6:07:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: are we being slow rolled? i would hope that a member of the majority would come to the floor so that we can ask: are we going to get votes on our amendments? they are in order. they are not going to be out of order from the pliamentarian. they will provide funding for something that we all agree we need to do.

6:07:31 to 6:07:46( Edit History Discussion )

Jon Kyl: the president has agreed we need some funding, in any event. the bottom line is if we don't vote on these today and cloture ripens, then this body never had an opportunity to express on this issue. so what i want to do is when the majority arrives to ask