Tom Tancredo: “although I can certainly agree with many of the comments of the previous speakers with regard to what this Congress has…”

“although I can certainly agree with many of the comments of the previous speakers with regard to what this Congress has accomplished to date, there is an issue, of course, that I must bring to the attention of the Congress, of my colleagues, and the Speaker, that has not been dealt with. It is almost incredible to stand here and say this in light of everything that has happened since September 11. We have, indeed, prosecuted a war against the perpetrators of the September 11 tragedy, and we have prosecuted it successfully. I am immensely grateful to the President of the United States for his efforts to bring these people to justice. In many ways, I am pleased with what the Congress of the United States has done in efforts, as has been stated earlier, at least on the House side, in terms of enhancing the economic viability of the Nation, passing a stimulus package, and the rest. However, while we focus on issues like those that have been described here, having just passed a massive education bill earlier this afternoon, we have abandoned, we have refused to deal with one of the most important, one of the most significant and uniquely Federal responsibilities given to us under the Constitution, and that is the issue of immigration control, immigration reform, and the security of our borders.”