Washington, DC —
Senator John Thune today issued the following statement after Senate passage of the Secure Fence Act of 2006:
"The United States is a nation of immigrants, but it is also a nation committed to the rule of law. America will continue to welcome immigrants to its shores, but they must come here legally. I feel that before we can seriously address immigration reform, we have to be able to secure our borders. It is in our national security interest to secure our borders. Border fencing has proven to be an especially effective deterrent against illegal immigration and that is why I support and voted for the Secure Fence Act."
"The United States is a nation of immigrants, but it is also a nation committed to the rule of law. America will continue to welcome immigrants to its shores, but they must come here legally. I feel that before we can seriously address immigration reform, we have to be able to secure our borders. It is in our national security interest to secure our borders. Border fencing has proven to be an especially effective deterrent against illegal immigration and that is why I support and voted for the Secure Fence Act."