Political Quotes

James Oberstar: “I did not vote for this immigration bill to begin with because I thought it was going to have many of the problems that…”

On the recordNovember 9, 1997
I did not vote for this immigration bill to begin with because I thought it was going to have many of the problems that have come up because it is so complicated, and the border between the United States and Canada is one of the most complex. It is also the longest open, free, unguarded border in the entire world. Every day a billion dollars in goods and services cross the border from Canada to the United States and back and forth. In an era of just-in-time delivery of goods, it is extremely important that we have a smooth flow across the U.S.-Canada border for that billion dollars daily of economic activity to survive. But with this legislation the more than 76 million people who enter the United States by land from Canada are going to line up, be checked in, have long waiting lines.
Said by
James Oberstar
Democratic · Minnesota

Editor's note · Context

Discussing concerns about the immigration bill's impact on the U.S.-Canada border during a House floor debate.

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