Speech #1100050548

Like the REAL ID Act that was forced on the American people outside the normal legislative process. this requirement is yet another example of the Administrations consistent denigration of Americans rights. including the right to privacy. The Administration is telling all Americans that we can no longer trust youthat Big Brother will control hiring for all jobs in America. From Americas country stores to our largest corporations. employers will now be de facto immigration officials. and potential employees will be presumed illegal until they prove themselves citizens. I hope we can reconsider this illconceived program. which cuts so hard against the presumptive decency and honesty of American citizens. Americas democracy works because lawabiding Americans choose to comply with our laws. pay their taxes. and participate in our civil society. I am pleased that significant parts of AGJOBS have been included in this bill. The legalization provisions for currently undocumented farm workers will go a long way toward helping farmers and removing the cloud of fear from so many workers. I commend Senator FEINSTEIN and Senator CRAIG for their work in this regard. But the bill also rejects parts of the monumental compromise reached between farm workers and agricultural employers in the AGJOBS bill. which provides much needed reforms for Americas farmers. dairy operators. and farm workers. I am extremely disappointed that American dairy farmers who want to hire future legal foreign workers end up losing out to the talking point that "temporary means temporary." The bill also neglects the real needs of the hightech community. which has been vigilant in seeking reliable sources of highskilled workers. Instead of adding sufficient HlB visa numbers to allow companies to stay competitive and remain the worlds leaders. the bill creates a green card system that doesnt truly address the technology industrys needs and removes hiring decisions from the company and places them with the Federal Government. It says: Trust us. we are from the Federal Government. we can make a better decision for you. Some of us are skeptical. But there are some good aspects of the bill. It incorporates the DREAM Act. a bill I have long supported. It has provisions that can move millions of undocumented people in this country on a path to citizenship. if not unrealistically delayed by the socalled triggers. Regrettably. it currently includes a provision to require immigrants to return to their home country before applying. In my view. that is unrealistic in many circumstances. and it is inflexibly harsh in others. Those who struggled to get herewho escaped oppressive and dysfunctional governmentsshould not be required to repeat that journey to share in the promise of America. This provision is driven by ideology. not by an American sense of fairness. and it should be revisited in our legislative process. I am also encouraged that we may be past the antiimmigrant opposition that stalled our efforts last year. I hope that we are past trying to make criminals out of undocumented immigrants. I hope that we are past trying to make criminals out of the clergy and advocates that try to help hardworking immigrants seeking a better life for their children. I hope we are past trying to build fences and walls around America and the American dream. I hope that we are past the antiimmigrant rhetoric and the antiHispanic slurs that accompanied the debate and electioneering last year. We need to keep working to make sure our legislation is one that takes a commonsense. realistic approach to this situation. I will continue working to produce legislation that treats people with dignity and respects our great traditions as a welcoming nation. We have much work to do before this bill becomes worthy of the Senate and of our great history and tradition as a nation of immigrants. a nation that brought my grandparents and my greatgreatgrandparents and my parentsinlaw to this country. I will vote to support the Majority Leaders effort to proceed to debate on comprehensive immigration reform. I hope that as we move through amendments and debate. the Senate will work toward making this a better bill. We all know that had we insisted on taking up the Senatepassed bill of last year. we would not have the votes to proceed.