Speech #1100052788

I have felt very strongly about this issue. and I wish to describe why. But having lost that vote. what I next propose is that we sunset the temporary or guest worker provision. Let me describe that even if we were not on the floor of the Senate talking about immigration today. we have a great deal of legal immigration in this country. We have a system by which there is a quota where we allow in people from other countries to become citizens of our country. to have a green card. to work. and then work toward citizenship. Let me describe that even if we were not here with an immigration proposal. here is who would be coming to our country. The 2006 numbers. I believe. are: 1.2 million people-.266.000 peoplelast year came to this country legally: 117.000 of them came from Africa. 422.000 came from Asia. 164.000 came from Europe. 414.000 came from various locations in North America. including the Caribbean. Central America. and other portions of North America. 138.000 came from South America. Let me reiterate. the cumulation is 1.2 million people that came to this country legally. and received green cards last year. So it is not as if there is not immigrationlegal immigration. We have a process by which we allow that to happen. There are people. even as I speak this morning. who are in Africa or Europe or Asia or South America or Central America. and they have wanted to come to this country. and they have made application. They have waited 5 years. 7 years. 10 years. and perhaps they have risen to the top of the list or close to the top of the list tounder the legal process for coming to this countrybe able to gain access to this country. Then. they read we have a new proposal on immigration. No. it is not that immigration quota where you apply and you wait over a long period of time. It is that if you came into this country by December 31 of last yearsnuck in. walked in. flew inillegally. we. with this legislation. deem you to be here legally. We say: Yes. you came here illegally.