Senate Joint Resolution No. 33

Introduced by Senator Wyland

August 21, 2014

Senate Joint Resolution No. 33—Relative to national security.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SJR 33, as introduced, Wyland. National security: borders.

The measure would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to take immediate and decisive action to ensure that entry into, and exit from, the United States is properly controlled in order to ensure our national security. The measure would also urge the President and Congress to further broaden political consensus on visitor and immigration law enforcement.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, On September 11, 2001, America was attacked by
19 terrorists with foreign passports using student or tourist visas
to enter the country; and

WHEREAS, As a result of those attacks, a bipartisan 9/11
Commission was convened to investigate the circumstances
surrounding the September 11 attacks, including recommendations
for guarding against future attacks; and

WHEREAS, The 9/11 Commission Report found that “as many
as 15 of the 19 hijackers were potentially vulnerable to interception
by border authorities”; and

WHEREAS, On April 15, 2013, the Boston Marathon route was
bombed by suspects Tamerlan and Dzokhar Tsarnaev; and

WHEREAS, The friends of Dzokhar Tsarnaev, who are accused
of interfering with the Boston bombing investigation to help him,
were living in the United States on expired or invalid student visas;
and

WHEREAS, The lack of entry and exit enforcement of the
border puts our nation at risk for infiltration and attack by foreign
terrorists; and

WHEREAS, The Migration Policy Institute reports that as many
as 40 percent of those in the United States illegally are overstaying
formerly valid student, temporary, business, or tourist visas; and

WHEREAS, Recent polls have found that an overwhelming
majority of likely United States voters would not support an
immigration reform plan that failed to address concerns of
unauthorized entry into the country; and

WHEREAS, Effective entry and exit control of the border is a
prerequisite for public confidence in any changes to, or
enforcement of, current visa policy or immigration law; now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and the Assembly of the State of
California, jointly, That the Legislature urges the President and
the Congress of the United States to take immediate and decisive
action to ensure that entry into, and exit for those whose lawful
presence has expired from, the United States is properly controlled
in order to ensure our national security, and to further broaden
political consensus on visitor and immigration law enforcement,
and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the President of the United States, to the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the
Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the
Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate
distribution.