“Border security is national security,” said Shuster. “These are positive improvements toward protecting America and stopping the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders.”

The first bill is the Community Protection Act (H.R. 6094). It ensures that if an illegal immigrant is caught and U.S. immigration officials are unable to deport him, he will remain in custody, instead of being released back onto American streets. It has an important provision for deporting illegal immigrants who are known gang members. It will also expedite the removal of illegal alien who are known criminals. Similar laws are already in place to deport those who associate with terrorist groups and this will extend that policy to illegal alien gang members and criminals.

The next measure is the Immigration Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 6095), which allows state and local law enforcement to arrest and detain illegal aliens. It also increases the prosecutions of those who smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States. Furthermore, it imposes a “Catch and Return” policy, instead of the “Catch and Release” that has plagued the system for years. Previously, illegal immigrants have been caught and later released back onto U.S. streets while they wait for deportation proceedings.

The final bill is the Border Tunnel Prevention Act (H.R. 4830). This bill makes it a crime to build or finance underground tunnels for smuggling immigrants and drugs across the border and into the United States.

 “These bills are important because they go the extra step to prosecute and remove the illegal aliens who are part of the criminal underground, as well as those who benefit from smuggling people and drugs into America,” said Shuster.