mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume .  i am happy to join this debate as the chairman of the committee on homeland security and welcome the gentleman from mississippi ( mr. thompson )  , my ranking member .  we are here because each day thousands of people illegally enter the united states .  they know where to cross .  they know how to get a driver 's license .  and if they are caught , they even know how to rig our legal system to stay in the country nonetheless .  what has been the result of this broken system ?  on january 25 , 1993 , mir aimal kansi stood at the entrance of the central intelligence agency and gunned down five people .  a month later ramzi yousef masterminded the first bombing of the world trade center .  both men were in the country because they were awaiting the outcome of their asylum applications .  this legislation will fix that loophole .  on september 11 , 2001 , according to the 9/11 commission report , the 19 hijackers responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks carried between them 13 u.s. driver 's licenses and 21 state-issued id cards .  several of these hijackers had overstayed their visas , and they were unlawfully in this country .  but their driver 's licenses permitted them to board those airplanes nonetheless .  this bill fixes that problem .  the laws that we are operating under today allow terrorists to enter our country and to plan and carry out attacks in the united states .  the reality is that this homeland security vulnerability is being exploited by terrorists and criminal aliens every day .  h.r. 418 makes necessary changes to ensure that terrorists do not obtain identification , as did the 9/11 hijackers , that will permit them to board airplanes or access federal facilities or easily travel within the united states .  the most literal security gap that this bill addresses is the 3-mile hole in the san diego border fence .  recent press accounts have reported that al qaeda operatives have joined forces with human smuggling rings in order to enter the united states .  as we now know , the 9/11 hijackers were interviewed 25 times by u.s. consular officers ; they had 43 contacts with immigration and customs authorities .  but because of administration and congressional initiatives requiring the screening of all foreign nationals entering the united states , terrorists will be forced to resort to crossing our borders illegally .  the border security fence , therefore , which thus far has been mired in bureaucratic delays , is part of our national security efforts and must be completed now .  for decades the border between san diego and mexico has been the preferred corridor for entry into the united states by unknown or undocumented persons .  with highly populated cities both north and south of the border as well as relatively quick access to national transportation hubs such as lax , it is the perfect place for aliens to slip across the border and gain quick access to u.s. communities and transportation networks .  the important infrastructure assets in the area , including in particular the largest naval base on the west coast of the united states and the busiest seaport in the united states , makes securing this area even more important .  from september through november , 2004 , the border patrol apprehended over 23 , 000 individuals with criminal records including 84 wanted for murder and 151 wanted for sexual assault .  in 2004 border patrol agents arrested almost 1.2 million illegal aliens with 11.6 percent of those apprehended in the san diego sector alone , despite the fact that the san diego sector is roughly 1 percent of our border area .  over the past 2 years , the three border patrol stations responsible for patrol of the existing 14 miles of border fence in the san diego sector have apprehended approximately 200 special interest aliens annually from countries such as afghanistan , iran , iraq , pakistan , and turkey .  completion of this fence will not only reduce the number of illegal crossings in the area but will also allow the border patrol to redeploy manpower and redirect precious resources to other important homeland security missions along the border .  and like the other border fence areas , the san diego sector can expect to see a reduction in crime , including murder , as well .  of the 14 miles authorized by congress several times , 9 miles of the triple fence have been completed .  but only in washington would people construct a fence with a big hole in it .  the final 3 1/2 miles has been held up due to bureaucratic red tape and lawsuits .  the border patrol has worked to alleviate the environmental concerns that have been raised .  in fact , the u.s. department of the interior 's fish and wildlife service concluded in july , 2003 , that construction of the fence `` is not likely to jeopardize '' the continued existence of any relevant endangered species in the area .  furthermore , not completing the fence will continue to cause other environmental damage in the area due to large numbers of persons crossing illegally through this area and subsequent pursuit by the border patrol , as well as large amounts of trash and refuse left in the wake of smugglers and illegal crossers .  as chairman of the committee on homeland security and a california resident , i am extremely concerned by the roadblocks that different bureaucratic groups have used to justify thwarting this important project .  for example , in september of 2003 , the san diego border patrol requested entry to a section of county-owned land located in the 3 1/2 mile section in dispute and located about 300 feet from the u.s.-mexican border in order to , first , improve the road for safety of the border patrol agents ; and , two , take soil samples in order to address environmental concerns pertaining to construction of the fence .  but the san diego county department of parks and recreation denied access , saying there was no authority to enter upon the land .  after months of negotiation , i have been told that the issue was finally resolved , but this clearly demonstrates that federal action is necessary to ensure that the fence is completed and that border security remains a priority .  the time for delay and bureaucratic obstruction is over .  we must complete this fence , and we must pass h.r. 418 .  mr. chairman , i reserve the balance of my time .  