mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , in august 2004 , the bipartisan chairman of the 9/11 commission testified at the select committee on homeland security that border security combined with the routine and effective enforcement of immigration laws must be a top priority for congress and the administration if our country can expect to secure the homeland and prevent another tragedy like what happened on 9/11 from happening again here in america . 
the 9/11 commission report states on page 384 that `` looking back , we can also see that the routine operations of our immigration laws , that is , aspects of the laws not specifically aimed at protecting against terrorism inevitably shaped al qaeda 's planning and opportunities. '' there is no more basic homeland security function of our legal system than deporting aliens who have been afforded due process and who have subsequently been ordered deported by a federal judge . 
sadly , according to our government 's best statistics , only 13 percent of the aliens arrested entering the country illegally and ordered deported are actually removed . 
as a result , people entering the country illegally with criminal or terrorist intent have quickly learned that , if arrested , they can be quickly released on their own word , and that they can be confident in the knowledge that they do not have to show up for their hearing , knowing they will likely never be deported . 
my amendment seeks to remedy this threat to our safety by clarifying the use of delivery bonds by the department of homeland security . 
this concept is nothing new . 
the authority to leverage delivery bonds to compel attendance at federal deportation proceedings already exists in federal law . 
the department simply needs guidance from congress on how to best use its existing bond authority to reach the goal of 100 percent repatriation of all aliens ordered deported , and that is exactly what my amendment will provide . 
quite simply , the amendment makes certain before an alien is released from department of homeland security detention pending an upcoming hearing , the federal judge must first certify that the alien is not a flight risk , and more important , that he does not pose a security risk to the united states . 
by improving this routine and fundamental operation of our laws , my amendment will limit terrorists ' planning and opportunities to attack americans here at home , and to begin fulfilling what the 9/11 commission identified last summer as a top priority for congress . 
i ask that all members of this house support my amendment and build upon the strong deportation reform initiatives already included in h.r. 418 . 
mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
