Any Member of Congress that starts talking about a pathway to amnesty--and that is what it is--lays out the welcome mat for people around the world that want to come into the United States illegally while our borders are not secured.

Why weren't we prepared, if we expected 65,000?

An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.

We should not be playing politics with the security of the American people.

Terrorists cannot plan and carry out attacks in the United States if they are unable to enter the country.

Thank you. I would like to thank all of you for your testimony today. It was incredibly insightful.

The committee will come to order. Today's hearing will focus on disaster mitigation and what communities across the Nation can do to protect their homes and families and reduce their costs, particularly as it relates to floods.

If anyone has experienced as you all have, the sorrow and devastation after a flood, I think at that point in time we would do anything within our power to prevent it from happening.

I disagree that the immigration reform that is being discussed here in Congress will have significant effect on the war on drugs.

We are giving the American people this false sense of security that somehow if we bring people out of the shadows everything is fine and dandy.

That is a deal-breaker for me. I can't go any further with this discussion until they can satisfy me that we are going to do those proper background checks.