Pete Sessions: “So what I would say to my colleagues is, this is going to cost a lot of money. You do not have to be trained in…”

“So what I would say to my colleagues is, this is going to cost a lot of money. You do not have to be trained in economics to understand that money comes from somebody. Who does the money come from? It comes from American workers and taxpayers, many of whom are having their wages depressed as a result of this huge flow of illegal labor. They are being asked to pay an earned-income tax credit check of $1,800, on average, to individuals who were illegal a few months before and possibly still have not completed the full background check. They still may not have completed the process to go to even a Z visa. Then they may be in a Z visa status for some time. I know it is said it is not amnesty because they have to pay a fine. How much is the fine? $1,000. They pay a $1,000 fine. Well, they do not actually pay a $1,000 fine. When they get this probationary status visa, they only pay $200. They pay the rest of it on an installment. Nobody has stated and set out how they are going to pay it. Presumably, they can pay it for 8 years or more. So a person here illegally under the legislation that is now before us, that person would obtain legal status in the country, be able to work, and would then be entitled to receive an earned-income tax credit.”