Guest Column
Bipartisan Senate Immigration Deal:
Quotes from Across the Political Spectrum
- Bipartisan Senate Immigration Deal:
Quotes from Across the Political Spectrum - Compiled by the National Immigration Forum
The Senate is poised to act on a far-reaching but flawed immigration bill, drafted by the unlikeliest of allies. Much energy and excitement surround news of this breakthrough, because the prospects for actually enacting a comprehensive reform bill have never been better. We have a bipartisan Senate poised to act, a reform-friendly House waiting in the wings, and a willing President with his bill-signing pen in hand. The Senate draft starts a process that, with fixes, could lead to a bill signing before the end of the year. Read on for quotes from Congressional leaders, Administration officials, and other policymakers about the Senate deal.
ELECTED AND APPOINTED LEADERS
President George W. Bush, Weekly Radio Address, 5/19/07
I realize that many hold strong convictions on this issue, and reaching an agreement was not easy. I appreciate the effort of senators who came together to craft this important legislation. This bill brings us closer to an immigration system that enforces our laws and upholds the great American tradition of welcoming those who share our values and our love of freedom.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), ABC’s This Week, 5/20/07
We would like to have strong bipartisan support for whatever we do. We don’t want the Senate to use the 60 or 70 in the House as an excuse to do something that Democrats can’t support. So let’s just say we want a bill that is comprehensive, that is bipartisan and that the president will sign.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), FoxNews.Com, 5/20/07
It is not amnesty, it is well balanced. It makes major reforms in immigration, it does provide a path for legalization for the 10-12 million.
Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), addressing the Georgia State GOP Convention Saturday, Gwinnett Daily Post, 5/20/07
Listen to any farmer in south Georgia. If we don't have a meaningful temporary worker program, we simply will be dependent on foreign imports for food products.
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), Fox News Sunday, 5/20/07
We have to do something about immigration. If we do nothing—there are not 12 million illegal aliens in the country. It will go to 20 million. Many companies and individuals who need specific people to create jobs from overseas won’t be able to get them. So we have to do something . . . . The bill is a fair starting point.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Fox News Sunday, 5/20/07
To my colleagues who want to make the bill better, you’re welcome to come on the floor and let’s work together. To my colleagues who come on the floor to tear this bill down with no alternative, you’re not doing this country a service, and I will push back. If you’ve got a better idea, you can lead us to a better solution. I’m all for it.
Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), Denver Post, 5/21/07
I'm involved in the immigration debate because at the end of the day, it is one of the most important issues facing America. The national security and human and moral implications of a system that is a lawless and broken system make it imperative for any of us who are in a position to fix the problem to fix it. The political consequences will be what they will be.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Boston Globe, 5/19/07
I'm sure there are provisions [many] of us would not agree with. [But] this is what negotiation is all about. We can, and must, complete this legislation sooner rather than later.
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, CNN’s Late Edition, 5/20/07
Everybody who has been on line, waiting patiently, gets ahead of them [undocumented immigrants]. They have to pay a penalty, similar to what you pay if you commit a misdemeanor, which is what this is under the existing state of the law.
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, CNN’s Late Edition, 5/20/07
We have said it is not amnesty. We have the impression, I have the impression, that perhaps for some people, the only thing that would not be amnesty is mass deportation. We do not think that is practical, we do not think that is logical, we do not think that is humane. And that would hurt our economy.
PUNDITS AND ADVOCATES
Fareed Zakaria, “Reagan’s Lessons for the GOP on Immigration,” Newsweek, 5/28/07
The compromise immigration bill worked out in the Senate by Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kyl is imperfect. But in broad terms it solves many of the problems with the current immigration system and, in Kennedy's words, ‘brings millions of people out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America.’ It does what legislation in a large and diverse country should do—makes trade-offs, compromises and accommodations to actually get something done. The requirements for illegal immigrants are so arduous that many might stay hidden and the guest-worker program is so complicated that it might be unworkable. But these features could be fixed and the proposal does move this important issue forward.
Fred Barnes, “Bordering on Progress,” The Weekly Standard, 5/28/07 edition
Assuming the measure passes in Congress--a dicey assumption at this point--it should save Republicans from further erosion of support among Hispanics. This is crucial to Republican prospects for holding the White House in 2008 and recapturing Congress. The legislation will also give congressional Democrats a legislative achievement to tout. And it may give Bush, long an advocate of immigration reform, a political boost and jack up his approval rating.
Manhattan Institute fellow Tamar Jacoby, “A long-awaited and welcome moment,” Orange County Register, 5/20/07
Today is a day for recognizing and applauding this breakthrough. This is a rough draft, and a reasonably good rough draft, of the legislation the nation needs to create an immigration system for the 21st century – to secure our borders, fuel our economic growth and provide the kind of citizens we value.
Most Reverend Gerald R. Barnes, Bishop of San Bernardino, Chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, 5/17/07
We urge the congressional leadership to ensure that the regular legislative process is honored, and that amendments to improve the legislation are permitted and given due consideration. Immigration is an important domestic issue facing this country. Congress can no longer wait to repair our seriously flawed immigration system. We look forward to working with our elected officials in Congress to enact a law which both protects the basic human rights and dignity of persons and serves our national interest.
Janet Murguía, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza, 5/18/07
While we have serious reservations about some elements of this bill, we will engage in vigorous efforts to improve it. We are deeply committed to moving legislation forward and seeing this process through to the House and ultimately to the President’s desk. We salute the senators who have taken the first step and look forward to engaging in the debate to its conclusion.
Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President, Service Employees International Union, SEIU, 5/18/07
As it stands, the bill has the potential to improve our nation’s security by helping 12 million undocumented immigrants come out from the shadows and get on a path to citizenship. It also makes positive commitments to ending the notorious visa backlog that has kept families apart for as long as 15 years. However, the package will require significant improvements before it becomes the real comprehensive, long-term immigration fix that the American public is waiting for. In order to end illegal immigration as we know it, restore order, unite families, and protect worker’s rights…”
Frank Sharry, Executive Director, National Immigration Forum, Roll Call, 5/21/07
As much as we don’t want an unacceptable bill, we’re equally terrified of no bill. The American public wants this solved and inaction comes with a very high political price for every incumbent. No one has drawn a line in the sand yet. It’s like the National Basketball Association playoffs. You survive a series and you go, ‘my God, these guys are even better,’ and then you go another round.
Thomas Snyder, National Political Director, UNITE HERE International Union, 5/18/07
- Finally, we can address this vital problem in the light of day on the floor of the United States Senate. We commend Senator Kennedy for working against all odds to get us to this point. But this is just the starting point…We plan to be very active in fixing this bill as it moves forward in the Senate and goes on to the House.
- _____________________________________________________________
- Douglas G. Rivlin
- Director of Communication
- National Immigration Forum
- 50 F Street, NW, #300
- Washington, DC 20001 USA
- http://www.immigrationforum.org/
- rivlin@immigrationforum.org
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