[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 14, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S929-S930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, it is now Wednesday morning of the week 
the Senate set aside to debate DACA, border security, interior 
enforcement, and other immigration issues. I promised I would clear the 
way to debate these matters this week, and I have. I promised I would 
ensure a fair amendment process in which both sides could offer 
legislation for discussion and votes, and I have. Just yesterday, the 
Congressional Hispanic Caucus released a letter thanking me for keeping 
my commitment and urged the Senate to resolve this issue quickly.
  But we haven't even been able to get started yet. We haven't even 
been able to get started. Yesterday, I tried twice to open the debate 
and start the voting. Both times, my Democratic colleagues objected. I 
am a little perplexed, frankly, by the holdup.
  My Democratic colleagues have spent months--months, as we all know--
demanding that the Senate take up this issue. They even shut down the 
government--shut down the government unnecessarily, I might add--in 
order to secure this very week for this discussion. But now that the 
time has come to make law instead of just making points, they are 
stalling. Why? Why, after months and months spent demanding that the 
Senate take up this issue, do they now object to even starting the 
debate? Because they know, no matter how long they spend in closed-door 
negotiations, they can't change the fact that the President has spelled 
out a fair and generous framework that will be necessary to earn his 
signature. These guys can't take yes for an answer. So instead of 
moving to fulfill our promises and address the DACA issue, they haven't 
even allowed the debate to begin.
  There is a widespread desire in this Chamber to find a resolution for 
the illegal immigrants who were brought to this country as children--
widespread agreement on that--but common sense dictates that we cannot 
simply treat one symptom of our broken immigration policy in complete 
isolation. We must address the underlying problems as well. That means 
fixing broken parts of our legal immigration system.
  We must also ensure the safety of the American people. That is why a 
DACA resolution should be paired with new security measures at our 
borders and commonsense steps to improve security inside our borders, 
steps like fixing the loophole that forces us to release thousands of 
criminal aliens whose home countries won't take them back, steps like 
enacting Kate's Law to put criminal offenders who repeatedly and 
illegally cross our borders behind bars, cracking down with stiffer 
penalties for human trafficking, and updating the removability grounds 
for drug traffickers, repeat drunk drivers, gang members, sex 
offenders, and other violent and dangerous criminals. Why in the world 
would those ideas be controversial?
  Keeping Americans safe does not need to be a partisan issue, and 
addressing these important safety issues along with DACA, border 
security, and

[[Page S930]]

other parts of our broken immigration system is our best chance to 
produce legislation that can pass the House, pass the Senate, and earn 
the President's signature. This is why the proposal put forward by 
Senator Grassley and others, which draws on the President's generous 
framework and which the President has officially endorsed, has my 
support, because presumably we will actually make a law here.
  I have made no effort--none--to tell Democrats what amendments they 
should offer. Of course, they shouldn't try to dictate Republican 
amendments either.
  The longer my colleagues across the aisle refuse to come to the 
table, the longer they are unable to produce any legislation they 
actually support, the lower the odds that we can arrive at a 
legislative solution this week.
  Yesterday alone, the Senate was open for 9 hours--yesterday alone, 9 
hours. Nine hours we could have spent processing amendments and 
proceeding to votes. Nine hours down the drain because Democrats won't 
let us start the debate they have spent months demanding.
  Now that we can finally proceed to consider the underlying bill this 
morning, I hope my colleagues across the aisle will come to the table. 
The President has made clear what principles must be addressed if we 
are going to make a law instead of merely making political points.
  While our Democratic colleagues can no longer prevent the Senate from 
starting the debate, they can continue to delay votes on amendments. I 
hope that won't happen.

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