On the recordJune 7, 2010
I rise to speak on a subject that has certainly had a lot of press coverage, and that is the trip by the Arizona Governor to Washington to speak with the President about the immigration issue in Arizona, recent legislation that was passed, and what we can do to secure the border. Something caught my eye in the Congress Daily which I want to quote and discuss. The article is entitled ``Arizona Gov. Pushes for Obama's Help.'' It was dated Thursday, June 3, and it talked about the meeting between the Governor and the President. It says they didn't appear to come to any agreements, and then it reads: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that both sides expressed their viewpoints, with Obama stressing that border security must be coupled with comprehensive immigration reform. Why is that? Why is securing the border being held hostage to comprehensive immigration reform? The President has a responsibility and we have a responsibility to enforce our laws. That includes securing our border. So why does the President insist we are not going to secure the border until we have comprehensive immigration reform? The reality is, if we do secure the border, it will be easier for Congress to pass comprehensive reform, because people will then understand that the Federal Government is serious about securing the border. They don't believe that today. With articles such as this, why should they?
