[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11831-11832]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              IMMIGRATION

  Mr. REID. This past weekend, Republican Presidential hopeful Donald 
Trump did what he did best: He said something dishonest and really 
distasteful. In speaking about the senior Senator from Arizona, he 
mocked Senator John McCain, mocked his service in the Vietnam conflict. 
He went so far as to say John McCain was not a war hero.
  John McCain and I came to the House of Representatives the very same 
day, both new Members of the House. He was representing a district in 
Arizona and I my district in Nevada. We are neighbors. We served 
together in the House. We came here to the Senate at the same time. He 
is one notch ahead of me in seniority in this body because the State of 
Arizona has more people than Nevada. That is how seniority is 
determined, among other ways.
  John McCain was a naval pilot and comes from a family who served our 
country admirably in the military for decades--his grandfather and his 
father. On one of his first missions to Vietnam, John McCain was shot 
down and badly injured--broken back and arms. He was very badly hurt. 
He was placed in a Vietnamese concentration camp, where he spent almost 
6 years. About half of that time was in solitary confinement, and many 
days and weeks of that were spent being punished, tortured, and 
rebreaking parts of his body that had been broken.
  John McCain, to me, is a hero. He is a person who has represented 
this country admirably in the Congress. He was a Republican nominee for 
President. America knows John McCain. I personally have some 
disagreements on policy on an occasion or two with John McCain, but we 
have never disagreed about our relationship. My relationship with 
Senator McCain is one where I have great admiration for him, for his 
strength of character, and for his moral courage in Vietnam.
  In the aftermath of these remarks about John McCain, Republicans have 
been falling all over themselves to criticize Donald Trump. But it 
makes me wonder: Where were all these same Republicans when Mr. Trump 
slandered millions? It was only a month ago that Trump said:

       When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their 
     best. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and 
     they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing 
     drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.

  That is his quote.
  When Trump insulted the Senator from Arizona, a Member of his own 
party, Republicans could not denounce him fast enough, but when Trump 
called immigrants ``rapists,'' there was nothing but silence--nothing 
but silence. There is an ugly truth behind that silence, and it is 
this: When it comes to immigration policy--and, frankly, most other 
policy--there is no meaningful difference between the Republican Party 
and Donald Trump. Consider the facts on just this one issue. Trump 
rejects a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented. Instead, he 
favors a system of merit that creates a road to legal status. He has 
never ever said two sentences defining that.
  We have heard before the same kind of talk from Republicans, those 
running for President--I think we have 16 of them now.
  Jeb Bush rejects the pathway to citizenship. He claims to support a 
pathway to legal status but ``not necessarily citizenship.''
  Scott Walker rejects a pathway to citizenship. He said, ``If somebody 
wants to be a citizen, they need to go back to their country of 
origin.''
  The junior Senator from Texas also rejects a pathway to citizenship. 
He said, ``I think that it is likely that there could be some 
bipartisan solution to those who are here illegally if a path to 
citizenship were taken off the table.''
  Governor Chris Christie rejects a pathway to citizenship, too. He 
said it is ``an extreme way to go.''
  Trump wants to terminate President Obama's Executive actions on 
immigration, tearing apart millions of families and deporting about 
800,000 DREAMers. We have heard that before, too.
  Jeb Bush also wants to repeal President Obama's Executive actions. On 
FOX News, on the ``Hannity'' show, he said he would ``repeal Obama's 
executive amnesty.'' That is a quote.
  The junior Senator from Texas also wants to terminate the President's 
Executive actions. Here is what he said: ``If I am elected president, 
the very first thing I intend to do on the first day is rescind every 
single unconstitutional or illegal executive action from President 
Obama.''
  Governor Chris Christie is actively opposing the President's 
Executive actions. In fact, his State joined a lawsuit challenging 
President Obama's actions.
  The junior Senator from Florida also rejects President Obama's 
Executive actions that keep families together. Senator Rubio's 
spokesperson told one news outlet that ``immigration executive orders 
won't be permanent policy under [a Rubio] administration.''
  These are the facts. When it comes to immigration policy--and, as I 
mentioned, sadly, most other policy issues--there is no daylight 
between Donald Trump and the rest of the Republican field.
  While the rest of the Republican Presidential hopefuls may not engage 
in the same repugnant rhetoric, make no mistake--they are all on the 
same page as Donald Trump.
  If I ask each Republican running for President ``Name one difference 
between your immigration policy and Trump's immigration policy,'' given 
recent history, there will be a deafening silence.

[[Page 11832]]

  When Trump insulted McCain, Republicans couldn't denounce him fast 
enough, but when Mr. Trump called millions of hard-working immigrants 
rapists and murderers, there was nothing but silence. Maybe this is 
because none of the Republicans running for President can name a single 
way in which they disagree with Trump's policies on immigration.
  In the meantime, Democrats will continue to fight to pass 
comprehensive immigration reform, just as we did more than 2 years ago. 
We will continue to fight Republican piecemeal legislation that 
criminalizes immigrant communities--whole communities--and we will 
continue to fight for families who are constantly being scapegoated by 
today's Republican Party.

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