Speech #1090156887

And I am prepared to debate it. But regardless. this is a matter we need to deal with. We are going to maintain a flow of legal immigrants into our country. and we should. We should set up a system that identifies people who are most worthy of coming into our country and approve them in a meritorious way. in an effective system. We do not have that today. The bill we have passed pretends to be a comprehensive bill for immigration reform. and it is an utter failure. It should never. ever. ever become law. It is a total disaster. They say: Well. we will just send it over to the House. The same people who may well vote against funding this amendment say: We will just send this bill now over to the House. the House of Representatives. who they made fun of a few months ago for passing a border enforcement bill first. We will send it over there. and maybe we will fix all this. How does it work in conference? The majority leader of the Senate appoints a group of conferees. the Speaker of the House does. the Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate appoint conferees. and this group of handpicked Senators and Congressmen meet. They go meet someplace. and they work it all out. basically in secret. without any real input from the American people. We have a bill from the Senate that has comprehensive review and reform. socalled. of the entire immigration policy of the United States of America and the House of Representatives has a law enforcement security bill only. And these are going to be just written out of thin air by these handpicked people in secret? I dont think that is healthy. not on a matter this important. Let me ask you. do the American people have a right to expect that this Senate and the House of Representatives are going to protect their interests and do what they have been asking them to do for 30 years. Or do they have a right to be cynical and expect that they will meet. plot out some sort of immigration bill. trumpet it as solving all our problems. bring it on the floor of this Senate. not subject to amendment. and drive it through and pass it? And it will not work again just like 1986. How can you test what we do here?