[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13991]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BACA. For over a year now, I have been coming to the floor to 
continue to advocate for the need to pass comprehensive immigration 
reform. While we debate health care and energy legislation, which are 
important, let us not forget about another urgent situation that is 
getting worse in America.
  To those who say that comprehensive immigration must wait, I ask, how 
do we humanely deal with the 14 million undocumented immigrants in this 
country whose lives are being affected every day? How should we respond 
to thousands of innocent children that increasingly are left to fend 
for themselves as bureaucratic and outdated immigration laws keep them 
from their parents?
  Our immigration system does not fit the current immigration reality. 
We need comprehensive immigration reform that respects families and 
protects our borders and makes America safer.
  I urge my colleagues to do the right thing. Look past politics and 
work with the CHC and pass comprehensive immigration reform.

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