Patrick Kennedy: “this debate can more appropriate be called debate over discrimination, not a debate over immigration. What we are seeing…”

“this debate can more appropriate be called debate over discrimination, not a debate over immigration. What we are seeing in collecting both legal and illegal immigrants is that we are going to treat legal immigrants as if they are illegal aliens. To me, this is no more than policy by prejudice and analysis by anecdote. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues to support the Berman amendment so we can differentiate between the two issues here. I rise today in support of the Chrysler-Brownback amendment and in support of the generations of immigrants who have built this country into the great Nation that it is today. This debate can be more appropriately called a debate over discrimination--not immigration. H.R. 2202 places drastic restrictions on legal immigrants--essentially treating them like second-class citizens who do not deserve the rights and privileges that are afforded native-born Americans. This short-sighted action is a part of the unfortunate antiimmigrant fervor that has swept up this House and swept across the Nation. This is of great concern to me as the land of liberty, freedom, equality, and hope will have the image of being an unwelcoming closed nation. This is a troubling image--one that goes directly against the cornerstone principles of America. It is a travesty that in an effort to curb illegal immigration, the authors of this bill have chosen to blatantly discriminate against those individuals who are in this country legally.…”