Political Quotes

“we can build the tallest fence in the world, and it won't fix our broken immigration system. Nor will it strengthen security on the borders. to do that, we need the comprehensive reform that the Senate passed earlier this year. We have been waiting for months for the majority to appoint conferees so we could complete this important legislation, but they have refused to do so. I support tough border security. I voted for an amendment, in the context of our comprehensive immigration reform bill, that would have authorized Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff's Department to build 370 miles of fencing--based on what he told us in the Senate he needed. Building some fencing as part of the comprehensive reform bill makes sense. As I have said before, we cannot take a piecemeal approach to fixing our borders. We need to do more. We passed a comprehensive bill. It had strong border security, it had temporary worker program, which is so important with agriculture and the resort industry. We also said that we had to do something to take care of the 12 million people who are living in the shadows. What would they do to get out of the shadows? They would have to pay taxes, get a job, learn English, and stay out of trouble. And we had employer sanctions. Only a combination of all of these elements will work to get our broken immigration system under control. Nearly half of the undocumented immigrants in this country came here legally and overstayed their visas.”