Summer Lee

And I am hoping that we create 15,000 pages of advocacy for immigration reform.

I view that as a skill, and I don't like the issue of high skill/low skill.

I think GAO can do a better job with providing a more certain answer.

For that reason, we must not tie comprehensive immigration reform to achieving some arbitrary standard of border security.

In other words, our efforts to secure our borders will always be a work in progress.

While I welcome the discussion, I want to caution against the notion that our Nation's borders can ever be fully and finally secured.

One might make the argument that the un-fenced area is less secure. I would argue against that.

We know that there are 1,993 miles of border, 651 miles of fencing.

I think it is a moving process.

I want to welcome Representative Beto O'Rourke, who represents a district along the U.S.-Mexico border and knows first-hand the importance of border security

I certainly adhere to the issue of outcomes.

But you know that, sir, by the laws that the Congress of the United States passed.

Essentially because the agency has told us that you can't enforce U.S. immigration law.

Did that deal specifically with the deferred adjudication for the DREAM Act children?

The more distinction that we have under the law is always going to be better for us.

And I thank the Chairman for that.

I think we cannot separate one from the other, and we cannot suggest that we must do one or the other.

So if we were to pass a comprehensive immigration reform that included border security, had enforcement aspects delineated, so that as a trained ICE officer, you would know the distinction, that would be better for you?

If we pass comprehensive immigration reform and we established once and for all the parameters of the law, and it was the law, that would be more helpful to law enforcement such as yourself, is that not correct?

And again, those numbers indicate 356,873 apprehensions on the Mexican border in 2012, up almost 9 percent.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

We put the skilled immigrants right there with the comprehensive immigration reform, and we will roll forward together.

So when we talk about comprehensive immigration reform, is it an important message that no one be left out?

Should we look to the promise of America for everyone, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Anglos, should that be the promise of America?

I absolutely believe, in spite of your different interests, that we cannot suffer a piecemeal process. It must be a comprehensive process.