Speech #1090120279

In addition to paying the penalty. we require these people to register with the Government. As American citizens. none of us are required to register with the Government. We. in this bill. however. require the undocumented people who are in this country to register with the U.S. Government. So we have penalties and we have registration. There is a whole host of other Items included in this part of the legislation that address the 11 million undocumented workers in this country. including the requirement that they obtain a temporary work visa. that they provide an additional $1.000 penalty. that they pass a background check and remain crime free while in the United States. that they pay all back taxes. that they learn English. that they learn American history and Government. that they pass a medical exam. and that they prove they are continuously employed with a temporary guest visa. When we look at all these requirements. what we are doing is creating a system where for an 11yearperiod these people are going to be punished and they are going to go through what I call a purgatory of time. It is an 11year waiting period before they are eligible to obtain citizenship. So this legislation ought to be correctly characterized as legislation that stands up for law and order. that addresses our broken borders and the lawlessness that comes from those broken borders. I wish to briefly also address the tenor of the debate in the United States of America with respect to this issue of immigration reform. which we are debating in Washington. DC. and across our great Nation. I think President Bush had it right when he talked about this issue a few days ago.