Speech #1000074923

Mr. President. I might take a few moments at this time to cover a matter while we are determining the final result of negotiations on this amendment pending and we are making progress. and I hope we continue to make progress. but let me just speak briefly on the issue of the recent commentaries with regard to the tragedy of undocumented aliens and their torture in a locked railroad car while attempting illegal entry into the United States. There has been a great deal of attention paid recently to th - tragedy involving those aliens. Other attempts have been discovered. Fortunately. the border patrol and the INS have uncovered what could have been additional tragedies of even greater status. All of those things have been happening for many years. I want the people to understand that indeed the attention is warranted. but if you can only but imagine how much of that has occurred in even greater scope in years past before the Immigration Reform and Control Act was placed on the books on November 6 of last year. This act of alien smuggling is truly one of the most vicious and dangerous and cruel that occurs in the area of immigration. There has been a substantial amount of recent press attention as well to the workings of the new immigration law. oddly enough. almost a corunning referral to those two measures. We have heard about possible labor shortages in agriculture and in the garment and service industries and about supposed paperwork burdens on employers. Interestingly enough. and I must respond somewhat whimsically. I note the creativity of those who never assisted in any way with regard to the immigration bill. I am always fascinated to see that they remain at full tilt. their creativity knows no bounds. and it has been most curious to hear their arguments about how perhaps the bill is not working in this area or that area. and what they really hope is that it would not work in any area. And I love the spirit of combat. as some know. when I say to them: "What do you want to do. go back to where we were before?" "Before" when we had a fearful and exploited and abused subculture of human beings in the United States who were and are here illegally and they had no legal rights whatsoeverafraid to go to the cops. afraid to go to their employer. afraid to go to a hospital unless it was for a birth. and that is exactly the event when one would want to go there because then there is the birth of a U.S. citizen childa precious conduitbecause when the child becomes 21. he or she can then petition for citizenship for their parents and brothers and sisters. something that is a very powerful and extraordinary lure to people the world over. in whatever status.