Speech #1040262091

I think that my fine leader. who I served as assistant for those 10 years--a most wonderfully decent manis being illserved on this issue. If what I read in the papers and hear through the media is true. and those who know me please believe that it is. indeed. always taken with a huge grain of salt by me as to what is in the mediaindeed. that will always be so. hopefullybut I am informed he is being advised by those who advise these people who choose to submit themselves to seek the role of the Office of Presidencythat he is being advised simply to let the bill die. And the reason for that. apparently. is so. as I gather it. that the President will not have a Rose Garden ceremony with regard to illegal immigration. that apparently because the President had a Rose Garden ceremony with regard to welfare reform and with regard to health care and with regard to. I guess. a.nything else that he signs. that someow this then cripples the effort of my friend. Bob Dole. -Thus it is rather extraordinary to me that those on my side of the aisle often accuse this administration of cynical politics and yet I cant imagine anything more cynical than not signing an illegal immigration bill or working for its passagesomething that was passed by such overwhelming marginson the basis that it is simply going to "help theincumbent" turning our backs on tl1- singular issue that Is reflected In polls across the country for years. and that is to "do something" about illegal immigration. There is and always has been overwhelming public support for measures to reduce illegal immigration. Both candidate Dole and President Clinton have stated their support for illegal immigration control legislation. I say to my colleagues. it is in the national interest to achieve control over our borders. to achieve control over illegal immigration and the misuse of our most generous public support and welfare programs that so burden the taxpayers of this country. When we have 60 percent of the live births in a certain hospital in California attributed to illegal undocumented mothers who then give birth to a U.S. citizen. when we have people who are minorities who go to seek public support because they need it and are then told that the cupboard is bare because it has all gone to illegal. undocumented persons. that stirs people up. They dont like it. and it really shouldnt be the guiding policy of anything we do here. but it is the way it is. So I just say. apparently the scenario is this now. I gather in my wisdom: Pass the bill in the House with the Gallegly amendment. which will be adopted. send it over here. and then it will be filibustered by those who do not like the Gallegly amendment. I guess they think all of those people are Democrats. And then we will point our bony fingers at all the Democrats and say. "They brought down illegal immigration." That is childish logic. because there are at least 10 to 12 Republicans in this body who do not like the Gallegly amendment in any form and who will assist in the filibuster. So if anybody thinks it Is Just going to be a wonderful roundelay over here of Democrats filibustering an illegal immigration bill and then we pointing the bony fickle finger of fate at those who destroyed the issue. No. So.