mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman from wisconsin ( chairman sensenbrenner ) for yielding me time . 
mr. chairman , this bill is the first step back on the long road to real homeland security . 
first , this bill prevents terrorists and others from getting driver 's licenses by requiring applicants to prove that they are in the country legally . 
driver 's licenses can be used to board an aircraft , open a bank account and get a job . 
to preserve our security , we must deny terrorists the ability to obtain this form of identification . 
in addition , this legislation makes it harder for terrorists to exploit our asylum system . 
it also requires the completion of the 14-mile san diego border fence , which congress approved in 1996 . 
finally , mr. chairman , this legislation strengthens our ability to deport terrorists . 
current law makes terrorists inadmissible for certain offenses but not deportable for those same offenses . 
congress can improve homeland security by passing this legislation . 
but if the administration wants to continue to protect the lives of americans , it can also take immediate steps to change policies that have encouraged illegal immigration . 
it should start by requesting funding for all of the border enforcement positions that congress authorized last year . 
the president 's budget only requests enough funds for 210 new border patrol agents , even though congress authorized 2 , 000 new agents . 
further , the administration must start fining employers for hiring illegal immigrants . 
last year it did not fine a single employer . 
the administration also should change its policy of recognizing consular identification cards issued by other countries . 
these cards are simply not secure or reliable . 
they give terrorists and illegal aliens another way to remain undetected in the united states . 
mr. chairman , the real id act marks the beginning of an effort to make america safer . 
i hope the administration will fully support us in this effort . 
