Cornyn Comments On Bush's Trip To Border In Texas, New Mexico
'The House and Senate bills have much in common, but the failures of the 1986 amnesty live on today, and we will need to work very hard to avoid a repeat of those mistakes'
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Chairman of the Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship subcommittee, made the following statement Tuesday regarding President Bush's trip to the border in Texas and New Mexico. The President highlighted border security and immigration in visits to the Laredo Border Patrol Sector Headquarters and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, New Mexico:
"This is an important message for the President as we go forward and try to solve our nation's broken immigration system. We need to facilitate legal immigration to provide the workforce necessary for Texas and American employers. But it should be, for their protection and ours, a legal system of immigration and I think we can tackle this with the President's help.
"The House and Senate bills have much in common, including border security, tougher penalties for those who violate our immigration laws, and employer accountability. But the failures of the 1986 amnesty live on today, and we will need to work very hard to avoid a repeat of those mistakes. It is possible to pass a comprehensive bill that reflects America's values and that restores credibility to our immigration system. We can address our security needs without disrupting our economy.
"My hope is that this summer we'll find a middle ground solution that controls illegal immigration and addresses the 12 million illegal immigrants—without granting amnesty.
"The President's leadership on this issue is enormously important, and few issues are as important as our immigration system. How Congress acts today will impact our society, our security and our economy for years to come. I hope the President continues to use his bully pulpit, because I know it will be difficult to get people to move off of their positions. But I believe we can work out our differences and have a bill that the American people will have confidence in."
Sen. Cornyn has played a key role in the Senate immigration reform debate and continues to work to bolster border security and implement comprehensive immigration reform.
Cornyn and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) authored a separate bill titled: The Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act (S.1438). The key components of their legislation include enhanced border security and interior enforcement, employer accountability, and reform to bring the current illegal population into compliance with the law.
Sen. Cornyn is a member of the following Senate Committees: Armed Services; Judiciary; Budget; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and Joint Economic. He is also the chairman of the subcommittees on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship and Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
More on Cornyn's immigration proposal: www.cornyn.senate.gov/immigration
