Political Quotes

“our Nation's immigration system is broken. There would be scant, if any, disagreement with that proposition in this Chamber. There would be no disagreement among anyone who is familiar with this broken immigration system. Far too often, that system is not only broken but violates the essential fundamental values and core convictions of the American people, values that are embodied in our Constitution, in the daily ethics we preach and live about fairness and welcoming people who are different from ourselves, people who have come here to escape persecution in their native lands, much as my father did in 1935 at the age of 17. He came alone, he spoke virtually no English, had not much more than the shirt on his back, and knew virtually no one. That is the way people still come to this great country, the greatest country in the history of the world. The immigration system that enabled him to come here is now fraught with strictures and failings and irrational barriers that work against not only the interests of people seeking freedom and opportunity but our national interests. That interest is best served when we make possible the talent, gifts, and energy of immigrants. We are a nation of immigrants, and we should be working to reform the immigration system for our national interest. No one exemplifies more poignantly and eloquently the flaws in our present system than young people known as the DREAMers.…”