Cornyn: Proposed 'Compromise' Leaves Immigration Bill Fundamentally Flawed
Cornyn: Proposed 'Compromise' Leaves Immigration Bill Fundamentally Flawed
'Compromise' would repeat mistakes of past, but on a much larger scale -- 12 million illegal immigrants would be put on easier path to citizenship, Cornyn says
Thursday, April 06, 2006
WASHINGTONU.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the Immigration and Border Security subcommittee, made the following statement Thursday regarding the proposed "compromise" on immigration reform:
"I'm encouraged to see there is a growing consensus around the idea of a second chance for those who have come to this country in violation of our immigration laws. And indeed that's a principle that I think we share in common with the Senators who worked out this compromise.'
"But the difficulty with the proposal of Sen. Hagel and Sen. Martinez and others is that it represents only a slight improvement from the initial flawed bill (Specter-McCain-Kennedy). Everyone agrees that the 1986 amnesty was a complete failure and had the unintended consequence of actually increasing the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders. Yet this compromise would repeat the mistakes of the past, but on a much larger scale because 12 million illegal immigrants would still be placed on an easier path to citizenship.
"One of the problems that we have had throughout the debate is trying to get votes on amendments that we've had on the floor. Sen. Kyl and I have an amendment that has been pending a week and that we believe has a lot of support if we could just be allowed a vote. It simply would exclude felons, repeat criminals and absconders from this general grant of amnesty. There are other provisions that we'd like to offer to the bill and we want to make sure that process is preserved.
"We understand that majorities have a vote. But those of us who have other ideas about how this bill can be improved shouldn't be crowded out of the process.
"So I hope and expect there will be an opportunity to vote on amendments that will improve this bill. I'm not part of any agreement. But we have certain rights as Senators to have a debate and vote on those amendments. And I expect to be a part of the ultimate solution to this problem which is comprehensive immigration reform."
"Many of the enforcement provisions in the Senate bill trace their origin to the bill that Sen. Kyl and I introduced last summer. And while the proposed compromise reflects progress in moving the Senate away from a wholesale amnesty, it remains fundamentally flawed."
Some of the key problems in the "compromise" proposal:
* Approximately 12 million illegal immigrants would be placed on a different, easier path to a green card and citizenship;
* Felons, repeat criminals and illegal immigrants who ignored orders of deportation would remain eligible for legalization;
* Information sharing restrictions could prevent the Department of Homeland Security from investigating fraud;
* Illegal immigrants who do depart and re-enter would be given a priority for green cards over those who waited to enter legally; and
* Hundreds of thousands of temporary workers could obtain green cards without the normal U.S. worker protections.
Sen. Cornyn continues to play a leading role in the efforts to bolster border security and implement comprehensive immigration reform. He and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) are the authors of The Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act (S.1438).
The key components of his comprehensive bill include enhanced border security and interior enforcement, employer accountability, and reform to address temporary workers and the current illegal population. Cornyn has said he will vote against any proposal that includes amnesty and rewards illegal immigrants.
http://cornyn.senate.gov/index.asp?f=record&lid=1&yid=1&rid=237155&pg=1