Political Quotes

“I think the distinction here on the H-1B visa question is, we are talking about bringing new workers, new skilled workers, in on a temporary basis to fill the needs of companies. The amendment, which we want to offer and which the Republicans are resisting, deals with workers already in America, many of whom are asking to be treated fairly under our immigration laws. Business and labor, as well, are saying they deserve to be treated fairly. As an example, the Senator from Nevada has talked about those who came to this country, started families, started working, paid their taxes, never once committed a crime, building their communities and their neighborhoods, and are now caught in this snarl, this tangle, this bureaucratic nightmare of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. They are asking for their chance, as many of our parents and grandparents had, to become American citizens legally and finally. It strikes me as odd that those of us in the Senate who understand how bad this immigration battle is for individuals and families would resist this amendment, the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act. In my office in Chicago, in my senatorial office, two-thirds of the casework is on immigration. We are in a constant battle with the INS. What our amendment seeks to do is to say these people deserve fair treatment.”