Speech #1100053004

I think there are some very good features of this bill. It has been negotiated really for years. The good features are the border security and we do have benchmarks that are required to be done before any temporary worker program or dealing with the backlog of people who are in our country illegally begins. We will have benchmarks that are finite for border security. That is a good feature of this bill. It also has a temporary worker program going forward. I think it is essential. if we are going to have border security in the future in this country. that we have a temporary worker program that works. If we do not have a temporary worker program that works. we will not have border security. Many people are not putting that together. but it is essential that you put it together because if we do not have a way for people to come into this country and fill the jobs that are being unfilled because we do not have enough workers who will do those jobs. then we will never be able to control our borders. I am supportive of those parts of the bill. What I cannot support in this bill and what I am going to try to make a positive effort to change are basically two areas. First is the amnesty portion of the Z visa. It would allow people to come to this country illegally. stay here. and if they do not wish to have a green card. they would never have to return. And that visa would be able to be renewed as long as the person wanted to stay here and work. I will offer an amendment at the appropriate time that will take the amnesty out of the bill and require that before a person can work in this country legally. if they are here illegally. they would have to go home and apply from outside the country. We will have a time that will allow that to happen in an orderly way. probably 2 years after the person gets their temporary card when they register to say they are in our country illegally. which they will be required to do.