[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1700-S1701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ENFORCEMENT-ONLY IMMIGRATION BILLS

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I regret to see that the Republicans are 
at it again--offering unworkable solutions to complex immigration 
issues that only make the problem worse and cater to the basest 
instincts of the far right fringe.
  For 7 years, Republicans have failed to fix the broken immigration 
system, offering only empty rhetoric and unrealistic proposals. 
Democrats recognize that our country deserves better--we need to 
overhaul our broken system, uphold our values as a nation of 
immigrants, ensure our national security and protect American jobs.
  It is unacceptable to have 12 million people in our country who are 
outside the system. Our illegal immigration problem has skyrocketed 
because employers know they can get away with breaking the law and 
abusing illegal workers. And the past 7 years have shown us that 
deportation alone is not the solution.
  It is time to stop coddling employers who break our laws and undercut 
American workers. It is time to make sure employers follow our 
immigration and labor laws so that the law is respected, wages are 
fair, working conditions are decent, workers' rights are valued, and 
unscrupulous employers are punished. And it is time to treat immigrants 
with the dignity and respect that they deserve.
  I have to ask why the Republicans have failed to address these very 
real problems. They controlled Congress for 6 years. They have occupied 
the White House for almost 8 years. Where have they been this whole 
time?
  I can tell you where they have been. They have been cynically using 
the immigration problem to stir up local resentment and fear to divert 
attention away from their inaction. They have vilified immigrants, 
especially Latinos, making them the new unwanted class, the new 
untouchables. They have tried to convince Americans that declaring 
English the official language will solve our problems, when in fact 
English is already our national language, but the Government sometimes 
needs to use other languages to respond to health care and law 
enforcement emergencies. They have engaged in targeted attacks on 
people who are contributing to our communities.
  I urge them to drop their rhetorical attacks that cater to the 
extreme right wing of their party. I urge them to listen to the 
American people, who want real solutions. Americans understand that 
immigration is a complex challenge that requires a comprehensive 
solution. They know that we need to address the situation of the 12 
million illegal immigrants in the country, requiring them to register 
with the Government or face deportation; that we need to deport those 
who have committed serious crimes or represent a threat to our national 
security; that we need to meaningfully go after employers who flaunt 
the law by hiring those who are not authorized to work; and that we 
need to ensure that American workers are not harmed by U.S. immigration 
policy.
  We can do this. We can uphold the rule of law. And we can do it 
without sacrificing our proud tradition of immigration.
  The American people understand the issues. Why can't the Republicans?
  Instead, they are proposing to deny local communities funding for 
community policing because such communities recognize that working with 
immigrant communities helps combat crime and lawlessness. They would 
force all American workers to prove eligibility to work based on a 
database that is so flawed it will result in denial of employment to 
millions of authorized workers, including American citizens. They would 
impose jail sentences on illegal immigrants who have not committed 
crimes, further overloading U.S. prisons. Those are just a few of the 
unworkable proposals they have introduced today, blithely ignoring the 
untold harm such ideas will cause to the American public.
  This Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform in 2006. That 
bill faced head on the many aspects of the immigration system that are 
broken. It recognized that it is impractical to deport 12 million 
illegal immigrants. And it is undesirable--the majority of these people 
are playing a key role in the U.S. economy, taking care of our 
children, mowing our lawns, and harvesting our crops.
  But that legislation also recognized that the Government must seize 
control of our immigration system. Border enforcement that is both 
effective and humane must be implemented. Employers who knowingly break 
the law and hire illegal immigrants must be punished. By hiring people 
who are not authorized to work, these bad actors are also violating 
labor protections in place to protect American workers.
  The 2006 bill failed in the House, where the Republican majority 
instead chose to grandstand the issue and push an enforcement-only 
bill. Now we are seeing our Republican colleagues in the Senate do the 
same.
  Let's stop the sham. Let's negotiate a real solution. Let's go back 
to the table, roll up our sleeves, and give the American public what it 
deserves: an immigration system that works, that is orderly, and that 
ensures that the system works for Americans. Anything

[[Page S1701]]

less is unworthy of the people we represent, and that is why I oppose 
this effort launched today by my Republican colleagues.

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