Maria Cantwell: “Mr. President I rise today for two purposes. First, I commend my colleague, Senator Kennedy, for his tireless work on…”

“Mr. President I rise today for two purposes. First, I commend my colleague, Senator Kennedy, for his tireless work on immigration issues and to offer my support for a bill he and Senator Brownback are introducing today, the Enhanced Border Security Act of 2001. Also, I want to discuss legislation I will be introducing that builds upon the visa technology standards provisions of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and fits within the construct of what Senators Kennedy and Brownback seek to accomplish. Several of the provisions I have proposed have already been incorporated by Senators Kennedy and Brownback, and I will continue to work with them and my other colleagues to move other provisions of my bill. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I have been honored to work closely with Senator Kennedy to find ways to better protect our borders and provide necessary support to the men and women who work for the State Department, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Customs Agency. I, along with many of my colleagues, am currently pressing for funding to triple the number of Immigration and Naturalization Service and U.S. personnel on our northern border and improve border technology, the authorization for which was included in the USA Patriot Act.”