mr. chairman , i am a proud daughter of immigrants who is honored to serve my country .  i consider it a privilege to be able to give something back to this country that has given so much opportunity to generations of immigrants over the years .  like millions of immigrants here today , my family came to this country in search of the american dream : a better life for their children so that their children could receive a quality education , some day own a home , and earn a fair wage .  i stand before my colleagues today angered and outraged that under the guise of national security , the republican party is trying to punish those seeking the same dreams that my parents sought .  if the republicans and this administration really want to strengthen national security , they should start , i would think , by providing full funding for the department of homeland security .  instead , the administration 's budget slashes funding for the cops program by $ 480 million and guts funding for local firefighters by $ 215 million .  this leaves our first responders without the critical resources they need .  the administration 's budget also breaks the promise of putting an additional 2 , 000 border patrol agents on the job in 2006 as promised in landmark intelligence reforms passed last year and endorsed by the 9/11 commission .  instead , the president 's budget provides funding for a mere 210 agents , a 90 percent cut over the 9/11 commission recommendations .  the truth of the matter is that republicans are using national security as a facade to alienate law-abiding , hard-working , and tax-paying immigrants .  there are 8 million undocumented immigrants in this country who are cleaning our offices , caring for our children and elderly , and picking the fruits and vegetables that we consume .  most of these jobs most americans do not want .  without these immigrants , our economy would falter .  what we should be doing is allowing immigrants a path to citizenship and access to driver 's licenses so they become a part of our american system .  this will make our country safer , and it will strengthen our national security .  we need comprehensive reform that supports our economy and values our immigrants .  if the real id act is passed today , it will deny driver 's licenses to those immigrants and slam the door shut on refugees seeking asylum from blood-thirsty regimes .  america is a country built by immigrants , and we should remain a country that is opening and welcoming to those who seek freedom .  it is a sad day when republicans use the pretext of national security to attack immigrants who pose no real threat to our security .  americans deserve better , and i urge my colleagues to vote `` no '' on h.r. 418 .  