Speech #1090136043

I voted for a fence. I believe we should put National Guard on the borders. We provide 12.500 additional Border Patrol. 2.500 border inspectors. over $1 billion of equipment for the border. We should have our border enforced. We should get the help of Mexico to enforce it. Secondly. with this plan. there is no jumping in line ahead of anyone waiting legally for a green card. The line begins for the orange card recipients. if such should ever be. when that line is expunged. What we do is recognize the reality. learn from the streets. understand what happens. and then try to build a comprehensive solution to deal with the real worldborder control. increase practical numbers of visas. as well as providing a path for earned legalization for those people who are here now. That path has several hurdles. It will weed out those who should not receive an orange card from those who should. It is an electronic process. It is doable. and it is practical. It recognizes that if you leave 4.4 million undocumented immigrants subject to deportation. whether it is this year or 4 years down the pike. you create another illegal pool of workers in this country. which I think destroys the comprehensive approach. Therefore. I just want to say that this orange card has specific requirements that have to be met over a 6year period of work. of learning to speak English. of paying a fine. of paying taxes. of work history. That has to be met on an annual basis. submitting work history receipts on an annual basis. The program financially takes care of itself with the fines and fees. I believe it is a practical. humane way to go which can. in fact. with the other components of the bill. create a comprehensive solution to immigration reform which has a chance to stop illegal immigration into our country. I am concerned that should HagelMartinez become the law. we are back where we started with a huge group of people subject to deportation at one point or another. We know that creates the underground labor pool. which then creates the incentive for an addition to that underground labor pool. I believe the orange card proposal we have before the Senate now does not do that.