Speech #990274913

So yes. I have had to swallow hard. but I hope others will swallow hard in recognizing that it is necessary. as a result of the votes we have had on the floor. to do something in the area of agriculture. The centerpiece of any comprehensive immigration reform bill. as I say. has to be sanctions against the employers who knowingly hire. refer. or recruit undocumented aliens for jobs. But in addition to the control of our borders and in fact complementing that type of direct action on the control of our borders. in addition to having increased border patrol. there are humanitarian considerations supporting immigration reform that cannot be overlooked. At present. undocumented workers are beyond the protection of our labor laws. or are afraid to report crimes. Many of us are undoubtedly familiar with the underground existence of the undocumented alien. and are not just using the term "underground" in a figurative sense. Many of you have gone through areas of California. areas of Texas. areas of other parts of the Southwest of the Nation. you will find spider holes where people live in literally dug out dirt hovels. in which they may have an entrance that is no more than 3 feet. They get in there. they are about 1 to 3 feet below the ground. they actually are about where people are when they are buried. and they live there. They live in communities of thousands in southern California. with no water. with no amenities. using whatever is necessary. washing and drinking. using water that flows off the fields. We have got to do something about that. If anybody believes. and I know some sincerely do. that we can round up every illegal alien that is here and send them home. I think they are sadly mistaken. We have to reach an accommodation with respect to those who have been here for a long time. and have roots in our community. and that means we have legalization.