[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 OPPOSITION TO SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY MORAN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2007

  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in 
opposition to the irresponsible immigration bill being considered in 
the Senate. As I travel around the big first congressional district in 
Kansas, the number one issue Kansans want to talk about is immigration. 
Across my home State and across the Nation, illegal immigration affects 
all aspects of life in our communities. Schools must deal with 
educating growing numbers of students who speak little or no English. 
Hospital emergency rooms grow even more crowded. Law enforcement work 
overtime to keep neighborhoods safe.
  While our immigration process is broken and needs dramatic overhaul, 
the legislation currently being debated in the Senate is not the 
answer. The Senate proposal is public policy at its worst. I oppose the 
Senate legislation. As I have said since this debate began, the first 
priority must be to restore the integrity of our borders. Without 
secure borders, the laws dealing with citizenship and worker permits 
are irrelevant.
  In addition to protecting the border, we also need a fair and 
efficient immigration agency that encourages compliance with our laws 
so that those who wish to come to the United States legally are able to 
do so in a timely and appropriate manner.
  I am more than willing to work with my colleagues to craft 
legislation that truly will address this country's immigration issue, 
but the compromise legislation pending in the Senate only exacerbates 
the problem.

                          ____________________