Connie Mack: “it has consistently been my position that the Federal Government must assume greater responsibility for the costs…”

“it has consistently been my position that the Federal Government must assume greater responsibility for the costs associated with immigration, both legal and illegal. My colleague from Florida has offered an amendment which recognizes the problem of immigration costs as an unfunded mandate, and I believe this amendment is a positive addition to the bill. Absent this amendment, S. 1 categorizes only a select few immigration costs as unfunded mandates and ignores the myriad other expenses which accrue to the States, such as education and incarceration costs. These expenses and many others would not be borne by the States. Only because the Federal Government has failed to fulfill their duty to enforce our immigration laws is this amendment necessary. I urge the adoption of the Graham amendment as an essential step in recognizing the burdens which the Federal Government's policy of abdication and default has placed upon the backs of the States.”