Speech #1100117357

I thank the majority leader. A few months ago. I stood on the floor of the Senate to decry the practice of sanctuary cities. Municipalities across this country had identified a loophole in the law and banned the practice of police officers inquiring about a suspects immigration status. allowing cities throughout this country to become sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. I said that following the attacks of 9/11. we made a promise to the American people to make this country safer. that we identified. on all levels. cracks in our system. and that we found when the left arm doesnt know what the right arm is doing. the consequences can be disastrous. I stand here today again to condemn another policy that flies in the face of post9/11 thinking. The State of New York will join eight other States in issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. New Mexico is setting up a program where they will doublecheck the illegal Immigrants identity with the Government of Mexico. Polish language newspapers have advertised the ease by which licenses from the State of Maine can be acquired. Tennessee recently stopped the practice of issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants in the wake of evidence that illegal immigrants from other States were coming to Tennessee to get licenses. To some. issuing licenses to illegal immigrants may seem harmless. if not commonsensical. If they are going to be driving on the streets. why not ensure that they know the rules of the road? The answer is licenses are much more than a permit to drive. The drivers license is a gateway document to a myriad of other services. Providing illegal immigrants with a drivers license affords them access to bank accounts. airline flights. and other resources that the 9/11 hijackers used to attack this Nation. Beyond national security. drivers licenses allow a person to enter a Federal building. vote in elections. and apply for Government benefits. There is also a considerable question of fraudwhen we cannot verify the materials brought to the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish a persons identity. which is certainly the case when we are dealing with noncitizens in an illegal status. you open the doors to corruption. multiple identities. and criminality. In the Senate. we have been grappling for several years with the issue of what to do with the 12 million or so undocumented people already in the United States. This Senator would like to find a solution that brings these folks out of the shadows. But the message we have received loudly and clearly from the American public is we cannot get the comprehensive immigration reform until we secure the borders and get serious about enforcing the rule of law when it comes to immigration. Similar to sanctuary cities. the issuance of drivers licenses to illegal immigrants is a setback for those who want to see comprehensive immigration reform because it shows we are not serious about enforcing the law. It flies in the face of what the American people expect their Government to do. which is to control our borders. know who is in the country. and appropriately penalize those who have broken our laws. I was at a coffee this morning with a columnist. Tom Friedman. a native Minnesotan. who addressed a group today. Immigration came up. and he said in passing that to deal with the illegal immigration. he is for a wall but one with a big gate. We need to remain a country that is open to foreign talent. We benefit from having those with Ph.Ds and advanced degrees and what they bring in terms of job creation. We need to look at the issue of immigration and at changes in our laws to encourage the best and brightest to come and contribute to our economy. Until we reestablish the rule of law in immigration policy. we will not be able to get the political consensus that is needed to make any reforms. let alone deal with the 12 million illegals here already. Sooner rather than later. America is going to have to ask itself: Do we want to take immigration and the State of our Nations security seriously? To the States that issue licenses to illegal immigrants and the cities that have sanctuary city policies on the books. we must ask the question: Why are you undermining immigration laws at the expense of the safety and security of this country? Today I am joined by several of my colleagues in introducing a senseoftheSenate resolution to make the official position of the Senate that States that issue government identification to illegal immigrants. issue drivers licenses. are disrespecting and disregarding Federal immigration laws. The measure also finds these actions present a national security risk and enables election fraud. Our colleague.