Speech #1090122775

DEWINE. MARTINEZ. and HAGEL have worked very closely with us. Senator FEINSTEIN has been a person of enormous knowledge. understanding. and awareness of the range of immigration issues. with very special attention to California. which presents such challenges. She has not only been in this debate and discussion an extraordinary ally. but to any debate and discussion on immigration and immigration reform. she brings a special dimension. She worked with Senator CRAIG in a very strong. bipartisan way in the initial proposal Senator MCCAIN and I introduced. We recognized that the AgJOBS bill was enormously important. It had a few different approaches. but rather than making this issue more complicated. we did not include It. We welcomed it. but we had the leadership of Senator FEINSTEIN and Senator CRAIG. So this has been a bipartisan effort in trying to bring about immigration reform. I will not review the very powerful and strong arguments about the border being broken and the need for our focus and attention on the border. about our national security interests and issues in trying to get it right. and about considering who comes to the United States and who does not come. As to our sense of humanity. I will speak about that for just a few minutes. in terms of how we are going to treat those who have come here and worked hard. played by the rules. who are devoted to their families and their religion. and who join the Armed Forces of our country and serve nobly. So I rise this morning recognizing that the Senate has failed to adopt urgently needed immigration reform. and in doing so. we failed in our duty to our Nation and our democracy and our American people. We only make progress on issues of civil rights and immigration when we have bipartisanA pril 7. 2006 152. Pt. 5 5727 ship. We havent had a great deal of bipartisanship over the recent past. We certainly did on this issue. and that is why it is doubly disappointing and sorrowful that we have missed the opportunity at this time. I believe we also failed our immigrant heritage and the 11 million undocumented workers and families who looked to us for hope. Clearly. the obstacles to progress are many. but for those who are committed to immigration reform. this debate certainly is not over. We will continue. if not today. then tomorrow and in the days ahead because the battle must go on. As one who has been in the trenches on this issue since I first came to the U.S. Senate over 40 years ago and who has been a part of this effort to try to put into perspective the enormous magnet of America to people who look to It with hope and opportunity and progress and those who understand that we have to do this in an orderly and rational and reasonable and thoughtful way. there is always tension. But we are proudly a nation of immigrants. and I certainly believe we have lost an important chance and opportunity to make important progress on this issue. What is at stake is not just our security but our humanity as well. We cant set that aside. We vote today on our security but also on our humanity. We cast a vote on what Congress will do about Sheila. an undocumented immigrant originally from Cork. Ireland. who has lived on Cape Cod for the last 10 years. She left Ireland due to the economic depression.