Speech #1090139006

President. on May 1. I was in Chicago to witness a monumental event. There were close to half a million people marching for comprehensive immigration reform. They were mostly people of Mexican origin. but among them were also Nigerians. Polish. Irish. Central American immigrants. and their Americanborn friends. family. and supporters. By now. most Americans are familiar with the issues surrounding immigration. We have a system of legal immigration under which 1 million people apply for legal residency each year and eventually pursue citizenship if they choose. Another 500.000 come across the border illegally and evade our border patrol. There are an estimated 12 million undocumented persons here working mostly in backbreaking jobs in agriculture. construction. packing plants. restaurants. and elsewhere. Some in the media have presented them as an invading hoard. But I spoke to the marchers who gathered 3 weeks ago. and what I saw was nothing to fear. They have come here for the same reason other immigrants have come for generations: to pursue the notion that they can make a better life for themselves. and most importantly for their children. if they work hard and apply themselves. Our country is ambivalent about this influx of undocumented immigrants. Many Americans. including myself. believe that these people are doing what many of us would do for our own children in the same situation. They take immense risks to get here and would not have come illegally if they could have come legally through the limited visas we issue each year. But while Americans understand the human desire to pursue a better life. they know we do not have an infinite capacity to absorb everyone who would like to come here. Ours is a nation of laws. And we cannot perpetuate a system that continues to have people coming here outside the law. Economists debate the effect undocumented workers have on the economy and opportunities available to Americans. There are areas where immigrants are doing jobs Americans would not do. But there are other circumstances where employers are bringing in workers for jobs that Americans would fill if employers paid fair wages. In the AfricanAmerican community. where unemployment rates often remain high. there is some tension about whether we should be importing large numbers of workers to compete with American workers. What I say to them is that immigrants in illegal status have no ability to fight for fair pay and fair treatment. AfricanAmerican workers and Latinos at the bottom of the wage ladder will all be better off if these workers can come out hiding and defend themselves. Today. under Chairman SPECTER. Senator LEAHY. Senator McCAi. and Senator KENNEDYS leadership. we will pass a bill that provides stronger border security. meaningful enforcement in the workplace. and a long. earned pathway to citizenship. The idea for the undocumented is that they would jump through multiple hoops over an 11year period to earn the right to stay and eventually become citizens of the United States. The Senate bill upholds our tradition as a nation of immigrants and proposes reforms in a comprehensive. commonsense manner. and it imposes new. strict but sensible enforcement mechanisms. The opponents of this effort have called it amnesty. They would prefer a punitive House bill that builds a wall across our southern border. deports the 12 million people here illegally. and makes any undocumented worker a felon. That kind of approach is not realistic. We are not going to deport 12 million people. Millions of them have American children. Many have been here for many years and have deep roots. It is hard to imagine that we would have police and immigration officials invading peoples homes. separating families. and forcibly sending people home. But Americans are right to demand that we end illegal immigration going forward. The draconian House legislation led to the marches. But what started as marches of fear on the part of immigrant workers has turned into a movement of hope. People are hoping they have an opportunity to legalize their status in some way. Their hope and our hope is that we can move forward together.