[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16143-16144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, as we know, tonight President Obama is 
going to speak to the American people about reforming our broken 
immigration system. I had dinner with him last night, and we talked 
about this. I think it is generally expected that he will announce what 
he can do to address some of the problems that are tearing families 
apart, dragging the U.S. economy down and risking our national 
security. For 2 years the Republican Speaker of the House of 
Representatives refused to even allow a vote on the Senate's bipartisan 
bill. Because of that, I understand and appreciate why the President is 
going to act.
  There are currently 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the 
United States, but everybody knows we are not going to round up and 
deport 11 million people. It just can't be done. Even if it could be 
done, it would be totally un-American and against everything that we 
stand for. These are, after all, mothers and fathers, sisters and 
brothers, sons and daughters. They are not a number. They are real 
people. And the President's action will acknowledge that. It is a 
necessary step in an effort to bring people out of the shadows, focus 
scarce enforcement resources on those who actually pose a threat, and 
bring some stability to those who are hardworking, law-abiding members 
of our community. I would much rather have people who are taxpayers and 
know they are here legally, so we can concentrate on those who aren't. 
That is what the President wants to do.
  President Obama knows there is no substitute for legislation. 
President Reagan and President Bush used a similar type of Executive 
order. It is a temporary and incomplete solution because legislation 
has to be passed. We have to step up and fix the broken immigration 
system once and for all, as we did in the Senate when Republicans and 
Democrats came together last year. But to those who say we should wait 
for Congress to act, I think we have waited long enough.
  We have been waiting now for 511 days since the Senate passed 
immigration reform. That is 511 days, during which time the Republican-
controlled House of Representatives could have taken up our bill--
either voted for it or voted against it. The least they could do is 
vote. Vote ``yes'' or vote ``no.'' I think about what my friend and the 
former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Edward 
Kennedy, said in the summer of 2007. We had comprehensive immigration 
reform before the Senate. It was being blocked by the Republicans. He 
said:

       A minority in the Senate rejected a stronger economy that 
     is fairer to our taxpayers and our workers. A minority in the 
     senate rejected America's own extraordinary immigrant history 
     and ignored our nation's most urgent needs. But we're in this 
     struggle for the long haul.

  Senator Kennedy was right. That is why Democrats and Republicans came

[[Page 16144]]

together to pass an immigration bill out of the Senate. I just ask why, 
511 days later, has the Republican-controlled House refused to either 
vote for it or vote against it? We held days of hearings and lengthy, 
extensive markup sessions. We worked late into the evenings debating 
the bill. Many of us worked weekends. I remember, because I was there. 
We considered hundreds of amendments. More than 300 amendments were 
filed. We adopted 136 of them. All but three were adopted with both 
Republican and Democratic votes. What was initially a proposal from the 
so-called Gang of 8 became, through the committee process, the product 
of 18 Members from both sides of the aisle. The Senate Judiciary 
Committee recommended this improved bipartisan bill to the full Senate. 
It wasn't exactly the bill that I would have written, but it was a fair 
and reasonable compromise. It reflected the deliberative process at its 
best, and I felt honored to bring the bill to the floor.
  But look what happened. Sixty eight of us voted to pass it, and the 
Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives will not even bring 
it up for a vote. To this day, the Republican leadership in the House 
is batting zero when it comes to truly addressing the broken 
immigration system.
  The President is not acting alone. The American people support 
immigration reform. Remember that. The American people support 
immigration reform. A bipartisan majority of the Senate has endorsed 
action. It is the House of Representatives that is out of step. Our 
system is not going to fix itself. We know this. It should be no 
surprise that the President has decided to use his authority to make 
our country safer, stronger, and more humane. If Republicans really, 
truly want congressional action on reform, they can take action today 
and allow a vote on the Senate-passed bill. I hope that every Member of 
the Republican Party who says that what the President is doing is 
terrible will also ask when House Republicans are going to vote one way 
or the other on the Senate's bill. Our bill would make everything the 
President is doing unnecessary. Remember that.
  The President has the legal authority to take this action. Every 
President since Eisenhower has exercised this authority. Some, such as 
President George H.W. Bush, did so on a sweeping scale. We make laws in 
Congress. The President sets enforcement policies. He clearly has the 
power to take the scarce resources we have given him and identify and 
deport those people who pose a danger to our communities, and he can 
limit the deportation of those who are law-abiding, tax-paying members 
of the community.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent for 2 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEAHY. Next week, millions of families in this country will 
gather around a table to give thanks for the many blessings they have 
received. I know my family and I and our children and our grandchildren 
will. The President's actions will be counted among those blessings for 
the millions of loved ones who worry that their mother, father or 
grandparents could be deported at any moment. The security the 
President's action will give these families on Thanksgiving is powerful 
and indispensable.
  For some, it is about something even more urgent. It is about seeking 
safety. While I applaud the President's announcement today, I remain 
deeply disappointed by his decision to build a large new detention 
facility to hold vulnerable women and children fleeing violence in 
Central America. Many of these individuals are asylum seekers, not 
criminals, and their ongoing detention is unacceptable. I urge him to 
revisit this policy.
  The action the President will announce today is going to draw 
criticism from those who sought to stop immigration reform at every 
turn. As a grandson of immigrants, I say that after years and years of 
obstruction, the President is right to take action. I am married to a 
woman who is the daughter of immigrants. At the heart of it all, this 
is about keeping America's communities strong and vibrant. We benefit 
from immigration. That has been our history. Let it be our future.

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