Speech #1050084319

But last years law went back on that promise. All we are trying to do is to make sure they are given their day in court. Then the comment was made that this should go through the Immigration Subcommittee. not on an appropriations bill. Our chairman. Senator ABRAHAM. spoke in support of this amendment. He is the chairman of the Immigration Subcommittee. and I am the ranking member. We are in strong support of this particular proposal. as I believe the members of the committee are. The further point that was made by Senator GRAMM was we need to stop illegal immigration. that this is an amnesty. Mr. President. it is an insult to these hardworking refugees. and their families who have suffered so much pain and hardship and who relied in good faith on the solemn promise they were given to call them illegal aliens or call what we are doing an amnesty. Virtually all of these families are already known to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. They are not illegal aliens working underground. These are families who applied to come to the United States under INS programs. and they are here on a variety of temporary immigration categories. They have acted in accord with what our Government told them to do. Not all these families will qualify to remain here under the terms of this amendment. They still must meet certain standards that existed in the law before the law was changed and applied retroactively. The Immigration Service estimates that less than half of those who qualify to apply to remain in this country will be approved. These families are lawabiding. taxpaying members of communities in all parts of America. In many. many cases. they have children who were born in this country and who are U.S. citizens by birth.