Immigration

Congressman Ruppersberger does not support illegal immigration and believes we need to make our borders more secure. He sponsored legislation that would fund the hiring of 2,000 new border patrol agents every year for the next five years.

The Congressman recently joined a bi-partisan group of lawmakers and asked the Speaker of the House of Representatives to include $137 million in the supplemental spending measure for Fiscal 2010 to secure our nation's border with Mexico.

The money would allow the government to hire hundreds of new border agents and beef up the equipment they need to protect the frontlines. Congressman Ruppersberger believes border patrol agents are critically important to keep our families and our communities safe by preventing terrorists, guns and drugs from slipping into our country unnoticed.

The group of lawmakers is requesting the following funds be included in the supplemental:

• $32.2 million to hire more than 200 new border patrol agents to stem the recent spike in violence at the border.
• $25 million to provide the U.S. Border Patrol with critical equipment to secure the border and protect themselves. The funding will pay for communication equipment, surveillance equipment, and base operations.
• $30 million for the National Guard Counter Drug program that provides military personnel to assist local, state and federal law enforcement agencies fighting drugs.
• $50 million for Operation Stonegarden that provides federal grants to allow local law enforcement officials to hire additional agents and pay overtime and travel expenses. Operation Stonegarden is often the sole federal resource available to assist law enforcement agencies in rural areas.