(June 23 ,2007)
Good morning. This week, Senate leaders
introduced revised legislation on comprehensive immigration reform. I thank
leaders from both parties for their bipartisan effort to fix our immigration
system so it can meet the needs of our Nation in the 21st century.
As the Senate takes up this critical bill, I understand
that many Americans have concerns about immigration reform -- especially about
the federal government's ability to secure the border. So this bill puts the
enforcement tools in place first. And it means more Border Patrol agents, more
fencing, more infrared cameras and other technologies at the border. It also
requires an employee-verification system based on government-issued,
tamper-proof identification cards that will help employers ensure that the
workers they hire are legal.
Only after these
enforcement tools are in place will certain other parts of the bill go into
effect. To make sure the government keeps its enforcement commitment, the bill
includes $4.4 billion in immediate additional funding for these border security
and worksite enforcement efforts.
The bill also
addresses other problems with immigration enforcement. Right now, our laws are
ineffective and insufficient. For example, crossing the border illegally carries
weak penalties. In addition, participation in illegal gangs is not enough to bar
admission into our country. And when we cannot get other countries to accept the
return of their citizens who are dangerous criminals, in most cases our
government can only detain these aliens for six months before releasing them
into society.
This is unacceptable. The bill before the Senate addresses these problems.
Under this bill, those caught crossing illegally will be permanently barred from
returning to the United States on a work or tourist visa. Under this bill,
anyone known to have taken part in illegal gang activity can be denied admission
to our country. And under this bill, we will be able to detain aliens who are
dangerous criminals until another country accepts their return.
These enforcement measures are a good start. Yet even with all these steps,
we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border.
Hundreds of thousands of people come here illegally because our current work
visa program does not match the needs of a growing and dynamic economy. To
discourage people from crossing our border illegally, this bill creates an
orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country legally to work on a
temporary basis.
With this program in place, employers will have a practical system to fill
jobs Americans are not doing -- and foreign workers will have a legal way to
apply for them. As a result, they won't have to try to sneak in. And that will
leave border agents free to chase down drug dealers, human traffickers, and
terrorists.
Once the border security and worksite enforcement benchmarks are met, the
bill will resolve the status of 12 million people who are now in our country
illegally. Under this bill, these workers will be given an opportunity to get
right with the law. This is not amnesty. There will be penalties for those who
come out of the shadows. If they pass a strict background check, pay a fine,
hold a job, maintain a clean criminal record, and eventually learn English, they
will qualify for and maintain a Z visa. If they want to get a green card, they
have to do all these things -- plus pay an additional fine, go to the back of
the line, and return to their country to apply from there.
This bill provides an historic opportunity to uphold America's tradition of
welcoming and assimilating immigrants and honoring our heritage as a Nation
built on the rule of law. We have an obligation to solve problems that have been
piling up for decades. The status quo is unacceptable. We must summon the
political courage to move forward with a comprehensive reform bill. By acting
now, we can ensure that our laws are respected, that the needs of our economy
are met, and that our Nation treats newcomers with dignity and helps them
assimilate.
I urge members of both parties to support comprehensive immigration reform.
By working together, we can pass this good bill -- and build an immigration
system worthy of our great Nation.
Thank you for listening.
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