Political Quotes

“I wish to comment on the immigration reform debate. Our borders are dangerously porous, and our immigration system is flatout broken. That is why it is so important for us to debate and focus on the issue of immigration reform and to bring that debate to closure over the course of this week. It is my hope that by Friday we will have a bill that is fair and equitable, that gives priority to our security concerns and at the same time respects America's strong and proud immigrant tradition. We are a nation of the rule of law and a strong nation of immigrant heritage. Last October, I met with a number of Senators, including Senators Cornyn and McCain, to discuss my intention to bring the immigration issue to the floor this spring. Why? Because the system is broken. There are millions of people coming across our borders, 25 percent growth last year in illegal immigrants coming across our borders. It is broken. It is broken at the borders, in the interior. And our temporary worker program is broken. I laid out at that time a specific plan for border security where we had broad agreement and then build on the consensus of border security with a comprehensive approach that included what happens on the interior; that is, the worksite, workplace enforcement, as well as, in the third dimension, fixing the temporary worker program. Over last week and the first part of this week, we have followed the plan laid out last October.…”