Kay Bailey Hutchison: “we have been debating for the last 2 weeks a bill that is going to change the course of our country. The debate has been…”

“we have been debating for the last 2 weeks a bill that is going to change the course of our country. The debate has been good. We have had the ability to offer amendments. Yet, the bill has not changed to the degree it needs to change, to do the job that we must do to assure that we secure our borders. This bill has not yet changed to ensure that we have a temporary worker program that works, that does not discriminate against American workers, and that is fair. If this bill had gone through that process, we could then start dealing with the people who are here in a fair and responsible way. Mr. President, we have benefitted from the immigrants in our country for hundreds of years--people who come here legally and work hard. They make better lives for themselves and their families, and they contribute to our country in the process. They have assimilated into America the ``E Pluribus Unum'' motto: Out of many, one. That has been the factor that has brought us together for all of these years. In the last 10 years, we have watched as millions have ignored our laws. They have come into our country illegally, leaving those who have waited their turn, who have waited for the legal process to work, to wonder if, in fact, they would ever be rewarded for their correct behavior. After 9/11, we all knew that our security was at risk. We have been forced to reexamine the laws of our country as they relate to our borders.…”