Political Quotes

“it is clear--we all agree--that the immigration system is broken and badly in need of a fix. We have 12 million immigrants, some of who live in constant fear. We have employers facing the quandary each day over who they can hire and who they cannot hire, while raids regularly disrupt and even shut down their businesses. Crops can't be harvested. Produce is dying on the vine because farmers cannot hire enough workers to harvest the crop. Under the current system, there are no winners but lots of losers. Next Tuesday, right after our weekly party conferences, the Senate will have an opportunity to vote on whether to begin debate on the complex and critical challenge of immigration reform. The bill we debate and eventually pass will give us a chance to strengthen border security, put in place an effective and efficient employer verification system, design a new worker program to take the pressure off the border, and give those 12 million undocumented immigrants the opportunity to come out of the shadows and into the light of day. Over the past several months, Senators from both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, have spent countless hours negotiating a bipartisan solution to this critical challenge. These Senators have been bargaining in good faith. I believe they are working hard to reach a compromise. I hope they can do that.”