Speech #1090165761

The main hurdle to a conference with the House and ultimately a bill approved by both Chambers is not a lack of common ground between the two bills. Instead. I submit it is a deeprooted public skepticism that the Federal Government will enforce the immigration laws and fund enforcement programs that are necessary to maintain any level of integrity in our immigration system. Unfortunately. Madam President. their skepticism is warranted. In 1986. Congress promised the American people that there would be a onetime amnesty and that increased enforcement would then prevent a buildup of illegal immigration in the country. As we know. the amnesty came. but the enforcement did not. Unless and until Americans are confident that the Federal Government will control the border and enforce the law. they are unlikely to support an immigration bill that includes any temporary worker program. One way to build that confidence is for Congress and this administration to fully fund border security and immigration enforcement programs starting with those that the Congress has already authorized and that the President has indicated are necessary to control our broken immigration system. What are Americans to think when Congress authorizes additional Border Patrol agents and detention beds and claims then to have dealt with our broken borders. but when Congress turns around. it fails to fund the positions and the infrastructure that we just got through authorizing. Unfortunately. that has been the pattern too often over the last years. Last week.