Mr. Chairman. I rise in strong support of H.R. 2202. the Immigration in the National Interest Act. I first joined this body nearly 10 years ago. about the time I began talking about the need for the Federal Government to bring badly needed reforms to our Nations immigration laws. Unfortunately. for many of those years I felt like I was talking to myself. That is clearly no longer the case. Immigration reform is an issue on the minds of nearly all Americans. and nearly all express deep dissatisfaction with our current system and the strong desire for change. Today. we begin the historic debate that will deliver that change. I truly believe that the bill before us represents the most serious and comprehensive reform of our Nations immigration law in modern times. It also closely follows the recommendations of both the Speakers Task Force on Immigration Reform. which I chaired. and those of the Jordan Commission. Mr. Chairman. the primary responsibilities of any sovereign nation are the protection of its borders and the enforcement of its laws. For too long. in the area of immigration policy. we in the Federal Government have shirked both duties. It may have taken a while. but policymakers in Washington finally seem ready to acknowledge the devastating effects of illegal immigration on our cities and towns. Mr. Chairman. America is at its core a nation of immigrants. I firmly believe that this bill celebrates legal immigration by attacking illegal immigration. It restores some sense and reason to the laws that govern both legal and illegal immigration and ensures that those laws will be enforced. Finally. I would like to congratulate my colleague. LAMAR SMITH. who chairs the Immigration and Claims Subcommittee. for putting his heart and soul into this legislation. I would also like to thank him for his spirit of cooperation. and for welcoming the input of myself and the other members of the task force in crafting this bill.
Keywords matched
immigration illegal immigration immigrants Immigration