Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told senators Tuesday that comprehensive immigration reform legislation will make the country more secure, prompting skepticism from Republican lawmakers.
Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee the legislation would “absolutely” improve the security of the nation’s borders.
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“Yes, we’ll have more identifications, more metrics, more biographic review, not just against law enforcement holdings but [National Counterterrorism Center] holdings,” Napolitano testified on Tuesday. “So it increases security in that end.”
She said giving illegal immigrants provisional legal status would also make them more likely to cooperate with police to solve a variety of crimes. Many immigrants in the country illegally who witness crimes are afraid to come to the police because of fear about being penalized for their status.
