WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence today urged Democrats to stop delaying progress on critical immigration reform legislation to strengthen border security.

Senator Roberts delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

“We are about to go on a two week recess without doing anything to secure our borders. There are 32,200 reasons why we should reach accommodation to pass a good immigration reform bill. That’s 32,200 people that will be coming across our borders during the two weeks that we’ll be in recess. 2,300 are coming across per day.

“As Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, I know how this effects our national security. 1.2 million illegal aliens were apprehended as they came across our borders last year. Two or three times that amount were not apprehended. If you lived in Tucson, that number was about 439,000. If you live in Yuma, California, that was approximately140,000. In McAllen, Texas, 135,000. Now that is in just one year. Of the 1.2 million that were apprehended that came across illegally, not to mention those that are not apprehended, 165,000 were persons coming from countries other than Mexico. Where did they come from? The Middle East, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe. We know because we have apprehended people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.

“These folks may be trying to find a job and be part of the American dream, but they may have other goals as well. Truthfully, I think this is only a snapshot of reality. I think the Intelligence Community can tell you who we have caught, but they can’t tell you who we haven’t caught. So, everyday that we argue about this that’s potentially 2,300 threats to national security coming across the border.

“I encourage my colleagues across the aisle to allow a series of amendments to be considered and move on with the debate of this bill. Otherwise, I have to tell you, the people of Kansas are going to look at me and every other Senator and say, ‘What on earth are you doing going on recess for two weeks when you have 32,200 people coming into the country, most of whom are not vetted and could endanger the security of the United States?”