Nick Lampson: “on Friday I joined Congressman Green, who just spoke, and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee, who will speak shortly, at the…”

“on Friday I joined Congressman Green, who just spoke, and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee, who will speak shortly, at the Houston passport office. Some people had been in line for hours, and some of them had driven hundreds of miles. Most were frustrated and confused. Many had applied months ago to comply with the new passport laws, but the last Congress failed to provide Federal agencies the resources they need to uphold our laws. These passport delays have inconvenienced thousands across our country. Some State Department estimates range up to 12 weeks or even longer to process passport applications, forcing some people to either cancel travel plans or lose deposits. We can't have homeland security without adequate resources. It is not enough to talk tough, we must follow through. The State Department has said that it would temporarily suspend the law to some countries so Americans can take their trips. Forcing agencies to suspend laws because they lack the capacity to enforce them sets a dangerous precedent. We need more agents to provide border security, customs and immigration enforcement officers and Federal prosecutors and immigration judges to uphold our laws. Let's fix this problem now before it gets much worse. ____________________”