mr. speaker , i thank my friend from texas for yielding me time . 
mr. speaker , i rise in favor of the rule , and i rise in favor of the sessions amendment . 
the amendment makes certain that before an alien is released from dhs detention on his own recognizance pending an upcoming hearing , the immigration judge first certify that the alien is not a flight risk and , more importantly , that he does not pose a security risk to the united states . 
mr. speaker , i appreciate the different views that we hear in the well of this house . 
i understand full well dr . 
franklin 's admonition about the challenge confronting those who seek security and yet also wish to preserve liberty . 
mr. speaker , one of the reasons we are here on the floor visiting this issue today is , as the distinguished chairman of the committee on rules pointed out , while our founders believed that all men were created equal , now we have the arcanities and absurdities of certain judicial procedures that allow illegal aliens to enjoy more legal privacy in some cases than do american citizens . 
we need redress . 
i listened with great interest to my friends who came to the floor recently discovering states rights with reference to this legislation , and i believe that to be a hopeful sign . 
i listened with great interest to other friends who came to offer scriptural and spiritual entreaties in this debate , and i welcome that as well . 
but , mr. speaker , here is the fundamental question we confront . 
in the wake of 9/11 , in the wake of clear and demonstrable evidence that there are those who come to this nation with the intent of harming and killing americans , who are bent on the destruction of our nation and our system of government , at long last this body should take the steps necessary to preserve our security and our liberty . 
border security is national security . 
there has been lament expressed from the other side that we are moving too quickly . 
indeed , mr. speaker , i came to this well in a previous congress lamenting the fact that at the behest of the other body we remove these important provisions from a piece of legislation passed at the end of the last session of congress . 
incrementalism in wartime is unacceptable . 
there is a clear and present danger . 
we must respond . 
pass the rule . 
pass the sessions amendment . 
pass the underlying legislation . 
let us preserve and protect our union and our way of life . 
