Doris Matsui: “much of the debate that we have had over the last 2 days is a discussion of what steps we should take to address the…”

“much of the debate that we have had over the last 2 days is a discussion of what steps we should take to address the serious illegal immigration problem facing our Nation. That is an important debate, and I welcome it. There may be differences in this Chamber about what steps will be most effective in addressing the problem of illegal immigration, but we are in agreement that we must act and act quickly. We should complete the illegal immigration debate and send legislation to the President. I rise in strong support of the amendment being offered by Mr. Chrysler, Mr. Berman, and Mr. Brownback because I firmly believe that we should separately address the far more controversial and questionable contention that legal immigration is having a negative impact on the United States. The House should affirm, as the Senate Judiciary Committee has, that it is absolutely inappropriate to view legal immigration as a part of the same problem as illegal immigration. When we talk about legal immigrants, we are talking about individuals who have waited patiently to enter our Nation, who have come here and contributed a tremendous amount to our society, our economy, and our tax base.”