[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4066]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, let me begin by congratulating members on 
both sides of the aisle on the Judiciary Committee for the fine work 
they did yesterday on the immigration bill. My expectation is that it 
will be coming to the floor soon.
  I wish to echo some of the remarks that were made by my senior 
colleague from Illinois, Senator Dick Durbin. I think everybody in this 
Chamber should be interested in a comprehensive immigration reform 
bill, one that takes seriously the security of our borders, one that 
takes seriously enforcing the hiring practices of employers, but also 
one that makes sure we are providing a pathway to citizenship for the 
11 million to 12 million undocumented workers who are making enormous 
contributions to this country.
  The bill that came out of the Judiciary Committee last night strikes 
the right balance. I believe it is a bill that is worthy of support on 
both sides of the aisle, and I am looking forward to participating in 
the debate on what I think will be one of the most important issues we 
face in the Senate.

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