Political Quotes

“I rise today to discuss the passage of the comprehensive immigration reform bill. For the first time in a generation, the Senate has passed a bill that brings us one crucial step closer to sensible immigration laws. This is a historic day for the Senate, for our economy, and for families across our country, but there is more work to be done before this bill becomes law. When we began consideration of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, I gave a speech in which I quoted from a book that John F. Kennedy wrote while serving in this Chamber. He wrote, ``Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible. With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean hands and a clear conscience.'' Today we can turn to the world proudly, with a clear conscience, and say this bill lives up to our ideals and our American values, to say that it will provide millions of aspiring Americans the opportunity to come out from the shadows, realize their dream of citizenship, and be strong threads in the rich fabric of this great nation. From the beginning of this process, I have been very clear with my colleagues regarding my priorities for immigration reform, and this bill takes steps to achieve each of them. First, this legislation provides a real pathway to citizenship for the 230,000 undocumented people already living in Washington State.…”