Because the people they are sheltering. many of them. are not documented citizens in the United States. That is the sad reality of the bill that came over from the House of Representatives. These immigrants are people in America without legal status. Some. indeed. crossed the border in darkness. Some entered legally and stayed on beyond the time given them. Some had their paperwork lost in this mindless bureaucracy of immigration laws. Some came. fell in love. married. and over time they became the only ones in their family who were not American citizens. They are Mexican. they are Polish. they are Irishthey are from many nations. Their ranks have grown to almost 11 million. Most polls tell us the American people dont want to give them all amnesty. to automatically make them citizens. and no one is suggesting that. But we also realize that deporting all 152. Pt. 3 4031 of them. as some have called for. is as unrealistic as well. Even if it were wiseand it is notit would be prohibitively expensive. America has two great traditions. We are a nation of immigrants and we are a nation intolerant of immigrants. How can that be? Many of us have seen examples in our lives. Just a floor away. in my office. is a little framed certificate I value very much. It is my mothers naturalization certificate. She came to the United States in 1911 and some 20 years later became a naturalized citizen. Her son is now the 47th Senator from the State of Illinois. It is a classic immigrant story of hard work and sacrifice so your children can do better. It is a story that has been repeated millions of times by immigrant families who came here at great risk. with great courage. and gave this country something special. The people who came to our shores had the courage to step up one day and say: I am leaving my village. I am leaving my children.
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