Rep. Gus Bilirakis

Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) has added his name to two more of our Five Great Immigration-Reduction Bills by cosponsoring Rep. Heath Shuler's (D-N.C.) SAVE Act and Rep. Marsha Blackburn's (R-Tenn.) CLEAR Act.

Rep. Bilirakis is serving his second term in the House and has earned an immigration reduction grade of an A.

The SAVE Act (H.R.3308) would use currently available tools and resources to increase interior enforcement of federal immigration laws.

In securing the borders, the SAVE Act would:

add 6,000 border patrol agents, utilizing new technology;

improve recruitment with focus on former agents and former members of the Armed Services and Reserves; and

create a pilot program to increase aerial surveillance, satellite and equipment sharing with the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense.

In fighting illegal hiring, the SAVE Act would:

make E-Verify mandatory for all employers;

increase monitoring of compliance of the E-Verify system;

require notification of identity theft; and

require information sharing between the Social Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service.

In increasing interior enforcement, the SAVE Act would:

add ICE agents and increase grants to local law enforcement; and

expedite the deportation process by increasing detention capacity and the number of immigration judges.

The CLEAR Act would authorize the federal government to reimburse states and localities for up to $400 million per year for the costs of incarcerating illegal aliens. Pres. Barack Obama's FY2010 budget proposal eliminates all funding for this program, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP). In addition to continuing the funding for SCAAP, the CLEAR Act also would provide the following enhancements to promote effective enforcement of immigration law: