Today, the U.S. Senate added amendments to its proposed overhaul of immigration policy, doubling the number of border patrol agents from 22,000 to 44,000.
Despite a pattern of illegal border crossings – which, according to a U.S. Border Patrol report, occur more frequently in Texas than in any other state – some Texas advocates say that the added infrastructure and resources won’t make the border safer.
America’s Voice, a group pushing for new immigration legislation, held a phone conference today detailing their call for Republican senators – including Texas’ John Cornyn and Ted Cruz – to rethink their stances. The advocacy group argues that the Republican senators’ opposing views do not reflect the views of their constituents on the issue.
“We registered over 26,000 new immigrant voters this year and thus far over 5,500 new voters,” said Lawrence Benito, CEO of Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. “Republicans can’t deny the fastest growing segment of the voting population.”
Proponents of the bill say the measures will protect Americans safety.
“The American people have asked us, if we pass an immigration bill on the Senate floor, that we do everything we can to secure the border,” Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, said.
According to U.S. Border Patrol, more illegal crossings took place through Texas than through Arizona this year for the first time since 1993.
