mr. chairman , as one of the conferees on the intelligence reform law enacted last december , i want to remind members that it contained 43 sections and 100 pages of immigration-related provisions . 
these tough , but smart new measures enacted just 2 months ago include , among others , adding thousands of additional border patrol agents , immigration and customs investigators and detention beds , criminalizing the smuggling of immigrants and establishing tough minimum standards for driver 's licenses , just as the 9/11 commission recommended . 
now we need to implement and fully fund these tough measures to ensure our nation 's safety . 
unfortunately , the president 's budget chose not to fund the 2 , 000 new border patrol agents or 8 , 000 additional detention beds that were called for in the intelligence reform bill . 
so much for being tough . 
h.r. 418 would further undermine these tough measures by repealing several of these provisions . 
the bill would repeal a gao study to ascertain any vulnerability in the current asylum system and replace it with new burdens that would be impossible for many true asylum seekers to meet . 
proponents of this legislation have misled us by suggesting that different terrorists have received asylum . 
no terrorist has ever been granted asylum in the united states . 
we further ensured that terrorists would not be granted asylum with the administrative changes of 1995 and the expedited removal system done legislatively in 1996 . 
now we detain anyone seeking asylum that arrives at our border without documents . 
but asylum encourages citizens of other countries to fight for positive change in their own country , without risking u.s. military lives . 
if their life is endangered , they should have a chance to seek asylum in the united states . 
unfortunately , the legislation before us would make that nearly impossible . 
finally , if a person is a terrorist , i do not want to deport them so they have another chance at doing harm to the united states . 
i want to detain them , prosecute them , imprison them to the fullest extent of the law . 
the bill would repeal the tough minimum standards for driver 's licenses called for by the 9/11 commission and included in the intelligence reform law with provisions that federalize all driver 's licenses , take away states ' rights , place huge unfunded mandates on the states , without advancing the paramount objective of making state-issued identity documents more secure and verifiable . 
that is why the national conference of state legislatures strongly opposes this legislation . 
mr. chairman , if you truly want to implement tough yet smart measures to ensure our nation 's security , vote down this legislation , and let us fully fund and implement the tough and smart provisions that were included in the intelligence reform bill . 
