Speech #990259502

What it is is an extension of the sanctuary movement. It is permatizing and giving Government direction and recognition to a sanctuary movement. something which has been rejected by INS. which has been rejected by the Justice Department. which has been rejected by the Government and which has never gotten anyplace on the floor of the House when independently voted. Yet we would have been required if we adopted the rule today on the immigration bill to accept that into the bill and have no opportunity to vote on it. In other words. we were told this: If you want immigration reform. we are going to hold you up on the floor. You have got to accept what we want you to accept. even though we know we could not pass it on the floor if it were required to be voted on. Ladies and gentleman and my colleagues. it just seems to me that is not the way we ought to do business here. Mr. Speaker. what I am trying to say is this. There are many of us who are genuinely concerned about immigration reform. We have been working on it on a bipartisan fashion. I truly regret that partisanship erupted. as least as reflected in the Rules Committee on the rule that was passed out here. To deny a Member an opportunity to offer an amendment on the most controversial issue within the immigration bill for the reason that that Member would be successful and. therefore. suggesting that Members amendment was what the majority wanted is not the way we ought to do business here. Now some are saying that those of us who opposed the rule today have killed immigration reform. I hope that is not true. It does not have to be true. But let us not have any finger pointing. Let us talk about where we are right now. Many of us have suggested for a long period of time that we ought not to let immigration go to the end of the year. I said that weekly. monthly. even daily at times for the last 2 years. We have commemorated more days. we have commemorated more anniversaries. we have commemorated more quartercentury anniversaries. we have commemorated more diseases than perhaps any other Congress. But while doing all those things. and all of those things are certainly valuable. we pushed immigration reform again to the back of the calendar. And now since we are at the back of the calendar. we are told to accept the rule that we give you that denies the will of the House or you kill immigration reform. I do not accept that. Mr.