Rand Paul: “I rise today to speak about my amendment, which we have entitled ``Trust But Verify.'' I am in full support of…”

“I rise today to speak about my amendment, which we have entitled ``Trust But Verify.'' I am in full support of immigration reform, as are most Members of this body and most Americans. But part of that reform must be that we insist on border security. Recently the authors of the current bill made clear that legalization will not be made contingent on border security. Most conservatives such as myself believe just the opposite, that legalization or documentation of workers absolutely must depend on border security first. My amendment does that. Trust But Verify makes documentation of undocumented workers contingent on border security. I believe the American people should not rely on bureaucrats or a commission to enforce border security. We have been promised security in the past and it never happens. My amendment is different than any other amendment because I want Congress to institute border security, not wait for a plan from the administration. With Trust But Verify Congress will vote every year for 5 years on whether the border is secure. The power to enforce border security will be in our hands, the people's representatives, and it is Congress that will be held accountable if we fail. If Congress believes the border is not secure, then the processing of the undocumented workers stops until the border becomes secure. To be clear, my amendment doesn't replace any triggers of the underlying bill.…”