Speech #1090119540

Madam President. I rise to express my extreme disappointment with the actions taken by the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week on immigration reform. I know that this is a tough issue. an emotional issue. and that my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee worked very hard to pass something out of committee. However. it seems to me that the rush to pass some form of immigration reform eclipsed prudent policymaking. The immigration problem in our country is out of control and must be solved. Our top priority in this immigration reform debate is to provide for real and comprehensive border security. We must also address in a responsible manner the presence of an enormous illegal population currently in our country. The issue before us is critical to the future of our country. in terms of national security. economic prosperity. and the fabric of our Nation. I hope we will proceed with a thoughtful and thorough debate in the Senate because the proposals we are going to be asked to consider are enormous in scope and have farreaching implications. We must ensure that not only the Senators but also the American people have ample opportunity to fully comprehend the consequences of any action we take. It is absolutely vital that the Senate act to put the resources and mechanisms in place to allow the Department of Homeland Security to gain operational control of our borders and to have stronger and more meaningful enforcement of our immigration laws in the interior of the United States. Rarely a day goes by when our borders are not breached in a new way. By now. weve all heard the story of the teams of investigators from the Government Accountability Office who. in December 2005. were able to carry enough radioactive material to make two dirty bombs past border checkpoints in Texas and Washington State by faking Government documents We can address this problem. and we will. by providing improved training for agents and improved technology at the borders. The magnitude of the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States is astounding. The Border Patrol arrested 1.2 million illegal immigrants in 2005. but couldnt stop hundreds of thousands more from unlawfully entering the country because they dont have the resources. We can address this problem and we will. by providing more Border Patrol agents. better infrastructure. additional checkpoints and use of the latest technology available. In addition. we must address the real magnet for illegal immigration for so many: the promise of a job. Most illegal immigrants in the United States did not come to this country to cause us harm but rather came to earn a better life for themselves and their families. However. we must ensure that a legal process for hiring foreign workers is put in place and strictly adhered to. We can address this problem and we will by mandating employer sanctions for those who flaunt the rule of law and continue to hire illegal workers and by providing tamperproof documentation to those who are authorized to work in the United States so that employers will have no confusion about the legality of the workers they hire. In addition to border security. we will be addressing a guest worker program. However. I am hoping we can have the opportunity to refocus the Senates attention on the "guest" part of the term guest worker program.