Speech #CREC-2018-01-17-pt1-PgH457-2_t23

But the good people of this country and people in this body and people like my father held on to the basic, fundamental concepts of what makes America work. What makes America great are these basic, fundamental ideas. So, in dealing with the question of DACA and with immigration, we have to look at some basic, fundamental American concepts. Let's first remember that all immigrants, whether they are documented or undocumented, are human beings and are entitled to be treated with human respect and dignity. The most fundamental concept in America is that all men and women are created equal--not all men and women with a green card are created equal, not all men and women who are citizens are created equal, not all men and women from a particular country are created equal. All human beings are equal and should be treated with human respect and dignity. I am concerned that the rhetoric that we are facing right now, that the negativity that we are facing right now, that the uncertainty that we are facing right now, that the outright assaults that we are facing in some cases right now are causing so much anxiety in our country, and it is diminishing our status as a beacon of hope to the world. That is the great thing about America. That is what makes America great is that we are a beacon of hope to the world. That beacon is being diminished by the rhetoric and by our failure to address this immigration crisis. This is not a new phenomenon. This started in the 1980s when death squads and civil wars and abject poverty forced people to flee from El Salvador over the border into the United States by the tens of thousands.