mr. chairman , i rise in support today of the real id act . 
as the former chief of counterterrorism in the u.s. department of justice for the western district of texas , i had jurisdiction over the mexican-texas border . 
i dealt , firsthand really , with the day-to-day threats our nation faces , and asked the question , why are we not doing more to secure our borders ? 
many of those intent on doing our nation harm claim political asylum as their trojan horse to gain access to our borders . 
individuals like the 1993 world trade center bomber , ramzi yousef , claimed political asylum and was ordered to appear at a hearing . 
yet yousef , like a majority of those given notices , failed to show up at the hearings . 
this bill will make it easier to deport suspected terrorists . 
terrorists have taken advantage of other holes in our laws . 
the 19 hijackers on september 11th had fraudulently obtained dozens of american visas , passports and driver 's licenses , documents used to open bank accounts , establish residency and , yes , to fly airplanes . 
this border security legislation provides the safety measure that to obtain a driver 's license , the person must simply prove they have a legal right to remain in our nation . 
for the safety and security of our nation , our families and our freedom , i urge my colleagues to support this bill . 
the 9/11 commission recommended it . 
we owe it to the victims of the national tragedy to pass this legislation . 
