Ted Poe: “There are rules and procedures for coming into the United States legally. You have to sign the guest book at the point…”

“There are rules and procedures for coming into the United States legally. You have to sign the guest book at the point of entry so we know who you are. We have a right to know why someone wants to visit our country--and we have the right to tell them when it's time for them to go home. But right now, America's hardworking taxpayers foot the bill for anyone who sneaks across our borders unabated. American taxpayers are expected to pay for the world's problems. We have enough problems of our own right here. Let me mention some of our border issues and some of those issues that we have on the Texas-Mexico border. Criminal aliens are a part of that problem. There is a crime wave taking place in our border regions. There are 14 Texas counties that border Mexico. And recently, I called the 14 county sheriffs and asked them this question, ``How many people do you have in your county jail that are foreign nationals charged with crimes other than immigration violations like misdemeanors and felony offenses?'' And they told me that 37 percent of the people in the border county jails in Texas are foreign nationals charged with those crimes. These are not rich counties. These are poor counties. And yet they're expected to take the brunt of the crime problem on the border. They don't have the money to prosecute or even house these individuals. You see, Mexico's problems have become our problems. Further, the violence in Mexico has escalated.…”