It affects all of us. It affects all of the States that each of us as Senators represent. and it represents a clash of our values. We are proudly a nation of immigrants. but we are also a nation of laws. Unfortunately. It is hard to reconcile the second ideal as a nation of laws with the current situation we see in this country with our porous border which last year allowed 1.1 million people to come across the border. and because we only had about 2.000 detention beds. most of those individuals were simply subject to what has now become known as the notorious catchandrelease program. And those who were sent back to Mexico came back again in short order. and we saw roughly 250.000 of those individuals who were detained at the border came from countries other than Mexico. including countries such as Syria. Iran. and other countries of special interest. which cause a lot of people. including me. an awful lot of concern because it is indicative of the fact that our southern border has become a magnet and has become a sieve for illegal immigration. not just from Mexico and Central and South America but literally from countries all around the world. I support comprehensive immigration reform. as a Senator from Texas. With about a 1.600mile border. we understand what the border is about. A number of Senators have had the opportunity since this debate began to go to the border.
Keywords matched
immigrants illegal immigration immigration