Speech #1100057308

So we are left with a system that values 3 years of U.S. employment more than the relationship between a brother and sister. Beyond these much debated aspects of the bill. I am also deeply concerned by a littlediscussed provision that would allow the Department of Homeland Security to detain several different categories of immigrants indefinitely. These immigrants may effectively be given a lifetime jail sentence. even though they have committed no crime for which such a sentence could be imposed by judge or jury. There is already a provision in our existing immigrations laws under which the Government may indefinitely detain any immigrant who is suspected of terrorism or whose release would threaten national security. The bill goes far beyond that. even allowing the Government to detainforeverimmigrants who have never been suspected. let alone convicted. of any crime. That does nothing to make us safer. and it goes against everything this country stands for. A similar challenge to our core values was presented by an amendment offered by Senator CORNYN. The amendment would have allowed the Government to deny citizenship to legal immigrants based on secret evidence and without any opportunity for review. It would have required the mandatory deportation of several new categories of immigrants without any individualized determination of whether such deportation was appropriate. And it would have doomed the earned legalization program with provisions that would make most applicants ineligible. In short. the amendment put forward a scattershot approach that would have penalized immigrants who pose no threat to us and stripped them of crucial due process rights. Fortunately. Senator KENNEDY offered us an alternative that responsibly and effectively targets the small proportion of immigrants who threaten the safety of our communities. His amendment will ensure that immigrants who have committed serious crimes not fully covered by existing immigration laws. including firearms offenses. domestic violence. child abuse. or felony drunk driving. cannot come to this country. I joined the majority of the Senate in voting for this more sensible and effective approach and against Senator COmivxs amendment. Despite my concerns about the bill. it contains several provisions that are important and worthy. For example. this bill contains the DREAM Act. which provides higher education opportunities for children who are longterm U.S. residents and came to this country illegally through no fault of their own. It also contains AgJOBS. a bill long in the making that will provide much needed assistance to agricultural workers. And it contains the Secure and Safe Detention and Asylum Act. to ensure that asylum seekers and other vulnerable populations have a meaningful opportunity to exercise their rights under law. and to provide for humane detention conditions in accordance with the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. I am pleased the Senate approved the addition to the bill of the Wartime Treatment Study Act. legislation Senator GRASSLEx and I have been trying to enact for years to examine the treatment of German Americans. Italian Americans. and other European Americans during World War II. as well as Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. While there has been study of the internment and relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II. few people know about our Governments failure to protect the basic rights of German and Italian Americans. We also must understand why. as the United States heroically battled fascism. our Government turned away thousands of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. delivering many of them to their deaths at the hands of the Nazi regime. I first introduced this legislation in 2001 after hearing from a group of German Americans in Wisconsin who were concerned that this sad chapter in our Nations history had gone unnoticed for too long. It is only appropriate for a country that prides itself on equality and justice to acknowledge and learn from its mistakes. It is long past time to enact the Wartime Treatment Study Act. and I will continue to push for it to become law. I hope the Senate will still have the chance to address the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Congress needs to act on this issue. which is why I voted to move forward with this bill despite the serious flaws I have discussed. I will work with my colleagues to try to make sure this happens and to make sure that we end up with a bill that represents true immigration reformone that encourages the 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country to come forward out of the shadows. takes a comprehensive approach to preventing illegal immigration in the future. and strengthens our society by welcoming immigrants who can make valuable contributions.