Mr. President. I cast one of the few votes against the immigration bill that passed the U.S. Senate recently. And I did it because part of the bill simply goes too far. We are in a period in which there is a great deal of meanspirited and antiimmigrant sentiment. a meanspiritedness and sentiment that does not serve the Nation well. For example. my amendment to permit people who are illegal immigrants. and who are going to become citizens. to get student aid that is available to all American citizens. is just common sense. We want these future citizens to be productive members of our society. The bill that passed the Senate not only denies them that assistance. but can be the basis for deportation if they receive that aid for one year. Two items have appeared recently that should cause us to reflect a little more. One is an oped piece in the Chicago Sun Times. by a member of the editorial board. Tom Sheridan. The other is an article titled "A Crackdown on Immigrants Is Restricting Scholarships" by Dirk Johnson that appeared in the New York Times. I ask that both articles be printed in the RECORD after my remarks. Both suggest that we are being shortsighted in what we are doing.
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