And every timeevery timethat the word "amnesty" is mentioned. I am going to try to get back on the floor and refute that because the description in no way fits the word. So here we are now with a comprehensive approach to immigration reform which. probably. according to at least most polls. the American people are. overall. supportive of. and a President of the United States who gave what I think is one of the finest speeches of his presidency on this issue. and we are now considering an amendment which would fundamentally gut the entire proposal. I want to quote from the President. again: It is neither wise nor realistic to round up millions of people. many with deep roots in the United States. and send them across the border. There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant. and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes that there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently and someone who has worked here for many years and has a home. a family. and an otherwise clean record. I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law: To pay their taxes. to learn English. and to work in a job for a number of years. People who meet these conditions should be able to apply for citizenship. but approval would not be automatic. and they will have to wait in line behind those who played by the rules and followed the law. What I have described is not amnesty.
Keywords matched
illegal immigrant illegal immigrants deportation immigration