With signs pointing to Congress not completing immigration reform and border security measures this year, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson today called the inactivity “a colossal failure on the part of Washington.”

“We could have immediately passed a border security bill – we could be making progress right now to secure the borders,” said Nelson. “Instead we have a political food fight – intra-party squabbling and extreme disappointment. Unfortunately, my prediction has come true and another year has passed, hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings have occurred, and the do everything approach has done nothing.”

Last fall, Nelson set out to change the way Washington approached illegal immigration by introducing a bipartisan border security first bill that separates the issues and makes it possible to move forward on securing the border. Senator Nelson’s comprehensive border security bill:

Increases the number of Border Patrol agents by 3,000 each year until 2011. 

Adds 5,000 immigration enforcement agents dedicated to fraud detection. Extends the southwest border fence, creating a 100 yard border zone controlled by the Department of Homeland Security.

Increases detention space by 50% for a combined capacity of 10,000 new beds. 

Implements a verification system so that all employers can verify that their workers are authorized to work in the U.S. 

Increases penalties for alien smuggling and drug trafficking. 

“Securing our border is a national security imperative,” said Nelson. “We cannot allow the borders to remain open indefinitely and we must act to avoid failing for the eleventh year in a row to achieve border security.”

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