Immigration bill does not deter illegals

The Hill:

The National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, a group representing 12,000 immigration agents, is criticizing a new House GOP border security bill that it says does not do enough to combat illegal border crossings.

The group released a statement Thursday raising concerns about legislation drafted by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) that is due on the House floor next week.

Kenneth Palinkas, the council’s president, said the 72-page bill does nothing to stop illegal border crossers from turning themselves into the authorities and gaining asylum.

“Almost anyone at all can call themselves an asylum-seeker and get in; it’s a global joke. It’s not border security if anyone can recite the magic words and get waved right on in,” Palinkas said in a statement.

Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador crossed the Southwest border in the Rio Grande Valley last year seeking asylum, putting a strain on federal agencies.

“Those who arrived in the 2014 border run are still here, often living on U.S. support and even applying for U.S. jobs,” Palinkas said.

He criticized the bill for not doing enough to implement an exit-entry tracking system based on biometric data.

“We admit individuals who have no business being admitted the United States, whether public charges, health risks, or radicalized Islamists, and in large numbers. It is unfair to employees, unfair to taxpayers, and unfair to anyone concerned about immigration security,” he said.

A House GOP aide disputed the claim that McCaul’s bill delays the implementation of a biometric exit tracking program, noting the legislation requires the secretary of Homeland Security to put one in place at the nation’s busiest ports within two years and all ports of entry within five years.

“The bill enforces penalties on the Department of Homeland Security political appointees if the terms of the bill are not met,” the aide said.

McCaul says his bill does not deal with asylum rules, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee.
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For many Americans the highest priority is deterring illegal entry into the US.  I immigration "reform" legislation does not answer the3 question of how it deters future illegal entry it is going to have a tough getting broad political support.  The open borders crowd does not care about deterrence and it mainly makes an empathy play for those who got across the border without going through the legal process.  But their solution only exacerbated the problem as seen by those seeking deterrence.