[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 162 (Friday, December 16, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H12037-H12038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     AMERICA'S IMMIGRATION POLICIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, sometime ago, Mr. Speaker, 
President John F. Kennedy, himself the grandson of Irish immigrants, 
summed up this blend of the old and the new when he called America a 
society of immigrants, each of whom had begun life anew on an equal 
footing.
  This is the secret of America, a Nation of people with a fresh memory 
of old traditions who dare to explore new frontiers. He further said: 
Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of 
American life.
  And then Franklin Delano Roosevelt reminded us, remember, remember 
always, that all of us are descended from immigrants. I had hoped as we 
began our journey on a very important task, as reflected in the work we 
have done over the last 2 days, on border security and immigration 
reform, that we would have returned to our values, recognizing that 
this Nation is a Nation of immigrants as well as a Nation of laws.
  I would have hoped that we would have constructed a piece of 
legislation that garnered the very essence of the instructions of the 
9/11 Commission; that we would have taken this time to move from the Ds 
and Fs of which this Nation was graded some 10 days by the 9/11 
Commission and actually incurred the appreciation of the Nation by 
doing real border security, real border enforcement and real 
immigration reform.

[[Page H12038]]

  But, unfortunately, the legislative initiative that has just passed, 
the Border Protection Act, really does not answer the question of the 
need for immigration reform.
  In fact, unlike the words of President John F. Kennedy where we 
recognize that immigration can enrich this country and where we 
recognize the contributions of immigrants, we seek now to shut the door 
for a pathway of earned access to legalization. We ignore the fact that 
immigrants who are working in a variety of jobs have homes and pay 
taxes, have children in school, and have the hopes and dreams of the 
immigrants of yesteryear.
  I think it is important that we turn back the clock and start 
immigration reform again; that we remember that we cannot demonize or 
make criminal every single undocumented immigrant, that we must provide 
our border patrol resources what they need, the helicopters, power 
boats, laptop computers, night goggles in order to enforce the border.
  We must enforce the laws that are already on the books. For example, 
it is a criminal act to enter the country without inspection. We have 
to have the resources to enforce those laws. But it does not make sense 
to deny those individuals within our borders due process.
  And then I would have hoped that a real immigration reform bill would 
have had a singular piece of protecting American jobs, realizing that 
the heart of this country's economy and the heart of America is in 
America's working people.
  And we could have taken this particular legislation and provided, as 
the Save America Comprehensive Legislation H.R. 2092, a vehicle to 
garner the fees that are paid by immigrants and invest them in the 
educational training of America and the protecting of American jobs and 
the securing of American jobs. I believe there should be employer 
sanctions, but there cannot be effective employer sanctions unless we 
develop a singular database that is integrated, consistent and 
accurate.
  Many of the amendments would suggest that an employer verify who he 
or she hired. That is the right thing to do. In fact, I voted for the 
Gonzalez amendment which would fine certain employers $50,000 so that 
those dollars could be used to reinvest in our community hospitals and 
schools to pay for some of the services that are used by those that may 
not be in status.
  But, frankly, we cannot have that verification system without an even 
database. And so it is important to note that, if we do border 
enforcement or immigration reform, we must have the dollars and the 
commitment, and that is not here in the present administration and the 
present structure that we are in.
  This legislation is, I think, falling on its own weight. As it makes 
its way to the United States Senate, it is clear that other body is not 
moving on such legislation at this time. And, in fact, there is great 
conflict between a pathway to legalization and the question of 
enforcement. We believe in enforcement, but not enforcement only.
  And you can ask any American who looks at the question of 
immigration, Mr. Speaker, and they want comprehensive immigration 
reform that understands that there are immigrants who come here for 
economic reasons, but we must keep those out that come here to do us 
harm.
  Find a way for pathways to legalization, and find a way to enforce 
the Nation's borders.

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