[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7834-S7835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 3932. A bill to provide comprehensive immigration reform, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, in the opening days of this Congress, I 
expressed my steadfast commitment to reform of our Nation's broken 
immigration system. The Senate passed a bill in the 109th Congress and 
debated one in the 110th. Action is long overdue, but until today, no 
truly comprehensive immigration package has been introduced in the 
Senate in the 111th Congress.
  I congratulate Senator Menendez on the introduction of the 
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010, and am pleased to join 
him as an original cosponsor. The bill protects the rights and 
opportunities of American workers, while simultaneously ensuring that 
our Nation's employers and American farms can find the workers they 
need to prosper. The bill will increase national security by adding 
personnel and equipment where they are most needed in border 
communities. And by bringing undocumented immigrants out of the 
shadows, the bill will help to make our towns and cities safer. These 
are goals we can all share.
  The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 includes several 
provisions that are priorities for Vermont,

[[Page S7835]]

such as AgJOBS, which will provide critically needed workers for farms 
in Vermont and across the Nation. The bill would permanently extend the 
EB-5 Regional Center program, which generates investment capital and 
creates jobs. The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act also includes 
one of my top civil rights priorities, the Uniting American Families 
Act, and a bill I have long supported, the DREAM Act. And, the bill 
includes measures from my bill, the Refugee Protection Act. Improving 
protections for refugees will honor the American tradition of offering 
safety to victims of persecution.
  There is bipartisan agreement that immigration reform is needed. I 
hope that the bill we introduce today will gain support from both sides 
of the aisle. I strongly believe that Congress is capable of finding a 
realistic solution to our immigration problems. Our friend the late 
Senator Ted Kennedy believed that, President Bush believed that, and I 
know President Obama believes that.
  I commend Senator Menendez for his leadership and urge all Senators 
to join us in supporting the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 
2010.

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