Speech #1090158157

Mr. SESSIONS. offered two amendments to the Homeland Security bill. Although they failed. they laid the groundwork for what I think is an important step for us to take and that is to go ahead and move forward with what all of us agree are the necessary steps for border security. That is the foundation upon which we can reach the final agreements on guest worker. on green cards. on quotas. and on citizenship. but only after the American people are convinced we have made the commitment to secure our border will the American people want us to make any deal on reform of immigration. We pass emergency supplementals for various things in this body. We have done it in response to Katrina. we have done it in response to Iraq. I submit the American people would tell you there is no greater emergency than securing our border. If the White House sent an emergency supplemental to this Senate for the money to fund the UAVs. the 6.000 Border Patrol agents. and the rest of title I. I doubt we would see maybe one or two dissenters because everybody knows it is an emergency. they know it needs to be done. And if it is. in fact. correct. that border security first is the trigger for comprehensive reform which is necessary. then lets declare it an emergency. Lets have the proposal come to the floor. lets debate it. and lets fund it. so as the year progresses. as the hearings are done. as we come back in session In September. we in this Congress can deal with comprehensive reform built on the foundation of comprehensive border security first. Mr. President. I appreciate your cooperation and that of all the colleagues in this body as we work dealing with a very difficult and complicated but a very doable reform of our immigration laws. I appreciate the commitment of those so far in border security first. and I think in the end all of us togetherthe executive and legislative branches--can come together on comprehensive reform that is built on securing our border to ensure the reforms we make are lasting and agreed to. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.