Border Security is the top priority for the lawmakers who are debating on the Senate immigration reform bill. They seek to secure the Mexican border through which people from Mexico are illegally entering into the United States. The bill includes few border security goals and would require the US Department of Homeland Security to strengthen the 2,000 mile border that Mexico shares with the United States. Reports state that more than 124,000 people were caught in 2012, as they made attempts to cross the border illegally. Republicans have stated that they would support immigration reform only if the top priority of immigration reform is border security. Apart from that, they say that the undocumented immigrants in the country must not be granted US citizenship until the border security goals are achieved.
Sen. Rand Paul stated that the Senate must thoroughly examine the facts in Massachusetts and see if the legalization process would help the country to prevent such situations in future. He also stated that border security must be stiffened and the immigrants must be prevented from misusing the country’s immigration system. Nevertheless, reports state that the immigrants who have been deported from the United States are some how re-entering the country and out of the 1,000 detainees who have been caught by the Border Patrol agents, 43 percent of them have planned to cross the border again. Detainees who have planned to cross the border again illegally, have family ties in the country and have jobs in America. For most of them, United States is the only home they have ever known and around 50 percent of the detainees say that they have jobs in the country.
Reports state that, unauthorized immigration has come down in recent years not just because of the aggressive border control efforts but mainly because of the American economy that has been weakened. Members of the Republican party want to spend more on border security and they have already voted to increase the spending on border security. According to the detainees, the need to come to America is greater and they are not discouraged by the tougher immigration laws. Undocumented immigrants in America work for long hours for very less wages, in dangerous conditions and the detainees are generally abused and denied health care. Yet, they may not leave the United States as they have deep ties to the country.