Speech #1100050586

So far. nobody can count that high. But we had 10 Senators working almost full time. and we came to a compromise and a combination. which is the way we work around here. I knew at the outset that working on immigration was going to be the third rail. The third rail is that rail that electrocutes you. We have long talked about Social Security as the third rail. Immigration is equally a third rail. There is no way to satisfy all facets of the political spectrum. We are accused on the right of amnesty. We have done everything we could to avoid that charge. I think we succeeded. Those undocumented immigrants will have to pay a fine. they will have to pay back taxes. they have to learn English. they have to fit into our culture. they have to hold jobs and be responsible. and go to the end of the line. They cant begin to qualify until 8 years have passed. It may be as long as 13 years which have passed. So it is not amnesty. Right now we have anarchyanachy. Those 12 million undocumented immigrants are going to be in this country one way or another. We cant deport them. If we have a registration procedure. there is a chance that we will identify undocumented immigrants who have criminal records who ought to be deported. It is possible to deport a small number. but certainly not all 12 million. The new program will have detention space for 27.500 people. but we cant begin to detain 12 million people. to litigate the deportation process. It cannot be done. But that is not stopping those on the right from calling it amnesty.