[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H5585]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1715
                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  (Mr. CROWLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, let me just for a moment talk about where 
we are at this point with immigration reform, as from my observation I 
see the Senate has done some of the work. It negotiated the bill that 
they will then bring before their house, and further negotiations will 
take place, and bill amendments will be made to that legislation. 
Ultimately they will pass a bill on immigration reform in their house.
  We will then have an opportunity on our side to do a similar measure. 
It will be different from the Senate when they go to conference. In 
that conference, hopefully we will be able to get to a bill we can all 
agree upon, we can send to the President, and the President can sign 
into law.
  Let's not rush to judgment on what that legislation will be. This 
bill is not going to be amnesty. This bill is going to be one that will 
secure our borders, that will create a virtual fence, one that will 
address the issues of illegal immigration, but also address the issue 
of the 12 million undocumented, those who find themselves in illegal 
status here in the United States today. The human element is as much an 
important part of how we move forward to deal with this issue, and I 
hope that all my colleagues keep an open mind as the debate moves 
forward.

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