Arlen Specter: “I commend my friend from California for her tireless dedication to ensuring the protection of unaccompanied alien…”

“I commend my friend from California for her tireless dedication to ensuring the protection of unaccompanied alien children. Indeed, it was her efforts last year that brought about the transfer of responsibility for these vulnerable children to ORR. I am pleased to have been a supporter of those efforts. As the Senator knows, the President requested $34.227 million for unaccompanied alien children for fiscal year 2004. The allocation levels the subcommittee received for fiscal year 2004 were so low, the committee had to reduce the overall funding for ORR beneath the President's request. Nonetheless, the committee recommended the full $34.227 million for fiscal year 2004 for unaccompanied alien children that the President requested.”