[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14245-14246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           IMMIGRATION REFORM

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the United States has a proud and unique 
history as a nation of immigrants. Ever since our founding, we have 
been a beacon of hope for those seeking opportunity. Generation after 
generation, our Nation has greatly benefited from the entrepreneurial 
spirit that these newcomers bring with them. That is as true today as 
it was 200 years ago.
  Our Nation's history with immigration has not always been a story of 
acceptance. Newcomers have often faced resistance, isolation, 
discrimination and even racist opposition. Many of us here in this body 
know those painful stories from our own immigrant families--others here 
have felt the stinging words of bigotry themselves. My grandparents 
faced signs telling them to not bother applying for work because of 
their ancestry but those old stories are hard to imagine today.
  That is why it is so shocking to hear the steady rise in racist, 
xenophobic rhetoric coming from the Republican field of Presidential 
candidates. These statements are offensive and have no place in our 
national dialogue. Those who use such rhetoric are fear mongering for 
political gain. Even in today's hyped up political theater, this kind 
of language is unacceptable. It is hurtful, harmful, and just plain 
wrong.
  It is incumbent on all of us to speak out against this dehumanizing 
discourse. A topic as important as immigration is worthy of debate, but 
in an informed and thoughtful manner. This weekend, Steve Case, a co-
founder of America Online, took a powerful stand in an opinion piece in 
the Washington Post titled ``Business Leaders Must Speak Out Against 
Trump's Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric.'' Two years ago, as chairman of the 
Senate Judiciary Committee, I invited Mr. Case to testify before the 
committee when we were considering comprehensive immigration reform, 
and he has continued to be a leader on the issue. He is right to stand 
up, speak out, and call on all Americans to reject the ugly words we 
are hearing from too many political actors on one of the most pressing 
matters facing our country.
  The growing partisan rhetoric that attempts to equate immigrants with

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criminals and suggests we deport them en mass is both irrational and 
dangerous. It is time that they stop. The characterization of 
immigrants as criminals here to harm us and our communities is not just 
beneath the dignity of anyone who seeks to lead this Nation as 
President, it simply is not supported by the evidence. Anyone who 
listened to the extensive testimony that the Senate Judiciary Committee 
collected 2 years ago will know that immigrants commit crimes at lower 
rates than those born in the United States. Many become job producers 
and the vast majority are hard-working members of our communities who 
support our economy and strengthen our neighborhoods. No less than 
Grover Norquist testified that ``Increased legal immigration will add 
millions of consumers, workers, renters, and others who will make our 
economy larger by working with Americans to produce more of the goods 
and services we demand.''
  We must put an end to this destructive anti-immigrant rhetoric and 
find a way back to the constructive, bipartisan approach to reforming 
our immigration system. The Senate Judiciary Committee played a 
critical role in that effort and I am proud of the productive, 
respectful debates that marked our consideration of comprehensive 
immigration reform in 2013. Both Democrats and Republicans praised the 
process as fair and thorough. Bipartisanship was a priority, and of the 
136 amendments we adopted in committee, all but 3 passed on a 
bipartisan basis. As a result of that remarkable effort, the Senate 
passed comprehensive immigration reform with overwhelming support. If 
House Republican leaders had simply brought that bill up for a vote, it 
would have passed and been the law of the land. We would have taken an 
enormous step forward as a country to fix our broken immigration 
system.
  That bill is an example of all we can accomplish when we put aside 
hateful slogans and focus on our primary job of actually legislating. I 
hope that we will return to a bipartisan approach this Congress so that 
we can again pass legislation that strengthens our communities and our 
economy, improves our border security, and keeps families together.
  There is still strong support for meaningful immigration reform in 
the Senate, and that is what we should work on here in Congress. There 
is no excuse for continued inaction and scapegoating. The time for 
immigration reform is now.

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