I just differ with you strongly on the politics of this issue, and I think your argument really is grounded in a very pessimistic view of what the American public will support.

I have joined as a leading cosponsor, with thanks to Senator Klobuchar and Senator Hatch, for their effort in championing this reform.

I have been a long-time advocate of the DREAM Act, both as State Attorney General and now as a United States Senator.

I favor a broader solution, a little bit of 'all of the above' solution around high-skilled immigration.

What I would like to see us do, as Senator Blumenthal put so well, is to embrace the enormous opportunity presented for us to deal with immigrants in America not as a problem but as a great path forward together to build a stronger, more…

I think to characterize it as amnesty would be rejected by many of us who support it, the idea of earning citizenship by paying back taxes, paying a penalty, learning English, going to the back of the line, and in the case of the DREAMers…

I really do believe that we are at a moment, a historic moment, when a big deal_and immigration reform is a big deal--would be accepted by the public, and I think would be inspiring to the public because we are Nation of immigrants.

You have given us a new DREAMer to call a model for why we should pass this act and expedite the earned citizenship status.

I want to again thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, for his leadership on this bill and on the issue of human trafficking. He has led this Chamber. I want to thank my colleague, Senator Portman, for truly a…

the pathway to earned citizenship is really necessary

I think many of us on this Committee are aware, but maybe not most Americans, that you often know that a crime has been committed, and you know who has committed it, but you need more than that knowledge on your part.

Reasonable regulation are consistent and, in fact, the genius of our Constitution.

And nobody has ever suggested that a criminal, a convicted felon or a fugitive or a drug addict or someone seriously mentally ill, dangerous to himself or others, or a domestic violence abuser has a fundamental Second Amendment right to…

None of them is absolute.

My strong belief is that we ought to do everything possible to enable more effective prosecutions under existing laws.

It is essentially dead letter.

I rise today to pay tribute to Robert Tellalian--an attorney, community advocate, and beloved family member and friend, who brought joy to many in Connecticut. He was a true community leader in a very timeless, enduring way--wisely guiding…

I want to first of all begin on this day when Connecticut, like other New England States, is digging out from an historic, truly an epic, snowstorm, to give my thanks to the first responders and to the men and women who have been working…

I call on the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, to repudiate and reject it.

I am very concerned, as my colleagues have said, about the effect on our defense industrial base.

There is a tension between those constitutional rights.

I think the defense industrial base is under threat, and it is the skilled, dedicated workforce that is the companion asset to our men and women in uniform that are so important.

This decision is a tremendous setback for an effort that really has been ongoing for years, if not decades.

The failure to provide the training and career opportunities to them that are needed, I think, would be one of the most catastrophic consequences of sequester.

Our defense industrial base is often unappreciated, our civilian workforce and the tremendous skills they bring to the production at Electric Boat.