Arlen Specter: “We will vote in this sequence when the votes start at 4:45, or earlier. Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, this immigration…”

“We will vote in this sequence when the votes start at 4:45, or earlier. Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, this immigration debate has proved divisive on many levels, but I believe there can be a shining beacon of agreement. In all of this back and forth, one group has been voiceless: the infants and young children longing for a loving home who don't care about or understand borders. In 2004, I introduced the Intercountry Adoption Reform Act, known simply as ICARE, in the House of Representatives. I am pleased to rise today to join my colleague, the Senior Senator from Louisiana, who is introducing ICARE in this Congress as an amendment to the Immigration Reform Act. Adoption represents the very best of the generous American spirit. In 2004 alone, Americans opened their homes through adoption to over 23,000 orphaned children from overseas. We must ask, how many more children would be with a loving family today if the maze of government regulation was not so complex? The ICARE amendment takes two important steps to break down the roadblocks these children face on their journey to find a permanent family. First, and most importantly, it affirms that foreign adopted children of American citizens should be treated in many respects like we treat children born abroad to an American citizen.…”