Speech #1090121679

It has not worked. and it is not working today. Although there are a number of our colleagues who believe it offers the best way to try to get a handle on our borders. That was the position which was taken by the House of Representatives and passed by the House of Representatives. effectively criminalizing every individual who is undocumented here in the United States and criminalizing any individual who might have been indirectly helping that person. whether it was a minister. a member of the clergy. or a nonprofit organization such as a humane group that operates in a feeding program or looks after people who have been in shelters. That is why Bishop Mahony. the cardinal of Los Angeles. said that the House legislation was such a vicious piece of legislation. Those arent my words. those are his. That was the position of the House of Representatives. Many of us who have worked on immigration issues believe that is not the answer. The fact is. it was the majority leader who introduced similar legislation in the Senate of the United States which to many of us represented the position of the Republican Party. That was the position which was introduced by the majority leader.