[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12400-12401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 THE NATION'S BROKEN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to 
put aside partisan differences and begin in earnest to address our 
Nation's broken immigration system. Although we do not always agree on 
how to change the system, it is clear that we all agree that the 
current system is broken and in need of meaningful reform.
  Yesterday I met with the President to discuss a way forward for 
immigration reform; and while comprehensive reform remains my priority, 
we cannot allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good. We must 
begin to address our immigration issues this year, improve our security 
at the borders. But piecemeal approaches at the State and local level 
only further complicates our Nation's immigration policy. We cannot and 
should not abandon our responsibility at the Federal level.
  AgJobs and the DREAM Act provides a path forward that can be an 
example

[[Page 12401]]

of how we can reform in a meaningful way that benefits our economy, 
provides a stable workforce on our local farms, and reduces the number 
of illegal workers in our country. We must act now, and I ask my 
colleagues to join me to pass immigration reform this year.

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