Speech #1040206037

Mr. President. I rise today in support of S. 1664. the Immigration Control and Financial Responsibility Act of 1996. It cannot be disputed that our immigration system is currently fraught with serious problems. including a flood of illegal Immigrants. criminal aliens. undesirable burdens on public services. and many other concerns. These problems weaken our country as a whole. and erode public support for basic principles which are central to our Nation. Americans are a generous people. but they do not like to have their generosity abused. I am pleased that we have confronted these hard issues with both compassion and resolve. and that the Senate is now giving consideration to final passage of this immigration reform bill. Among the many notable provisions in this immigration bill are those designed to increase enforcement of our borders. limit ineligible aliens public benefits. improve deportation procedures. and reduce alien smuggling. There is no serious disagreement over the pressing need to strengthen our laws against illegal immigration. but there has been much debate over the details of how this can best be achieved. I am committed to enacting this legislation in order to sharply reduce the flow of illegal aliens into our Nation. by ensuring adequate enforcement along our borders. among other things. Mr. President. I commend Senator SIMPSON for his leadership on immigration issues. and particularly on his role in bringing this important legislation to this point today. Although we have not agreed on every issue. the commitment and expertise of Senator SIMPSON have beer. invaluable in moving needed reform forward. Immigration matters are complex and tend to be divisive. It is my belief. however. that illegal immigration is among the most serious problems confronting our Nation today. We should pass this legislation to address these problems. and I urge my colleagues to adopt this measure.