Opening Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy,
Ranking Member, Judiciary Committee
Executive Business Meeting
Immigration Reform
March 27, 2006

We will turn our attention this morning to the fundamental issue of whether our bill will include a path toward earned citizenship for the many undocumented immigrants in the country.  This should be the focus of the Committee’s attention today, and we should seek to make progress and vote.  The peaceful demonstrations around the country over the last several days indicate the need for us to recognize the human dignity of all and do the right thing.

It will be a difficult debate today because some do not want resolution of this matter, nor do they want a comprehensive approach to immigration.  Democrats have long supported effective enforcement.  I was among those who pushed for added enforcement along the Northern Border as well as our Southern Border over the last several years and have voted to provide the resources necessary to make those commitments a reality.  It is the Bush-Cheney Administration that has at times been the impediment to the hiring and training of the additional Border Patrol agents we have sought to require legislatively.  It is striking and disappointing just how distant the President and his Administration have been in these days as congressional Republicans have resisted comprehensive immigration reform.  I have not seen or heard from them and they have not weighed in to make their early rhetoric a reality. 

Many members of this Committee have said the right things.  We have already talked about the dangers of creating a permanent underclass and the need to avoid that.  We have agreed that those undocumented immigrants already in the country do not get to cut to the front of the line but, in accordance with the bipartisan plan that Senator Kennedy has offered, will need to pay fines, pay taxes, work hard, and wait in line for green cards and earn their way on a path to adjusted status and citizenship.  Today we need to adopt that proposal in a bipartisan way.  Democrats will not be able to do it alone.  We need to provide an orderly system for immigration that is consistent with traditional American values.  We have already shown our willingness to toughen border security.  Immigrants who are here working and paying taxes and not committing crimes are ready to abide by the rules.  Immigrants serve on active duty in our Armed Forces.  We need to fix our immigration system.  We need a comprehensive solution to a national problem.  We need a fair, realistic and reasonable system. 

I am here to join in what I hope will be a bipartisan effort to make real progress on the fundamental issues that need to be considered if we are to have comprehensive immigration legislation this year.  The President has talked about a guest worker program for years, but there has been no action by the Republican Congress.  Farmers in Vermont and across the country need help.  Immigrants are hopeful that we will reaffirm the promise that America has long represented with our Statue of Liberty and its inspiring words of hope and comfort to the oppressed and downtrodden.

I am disappointed that the Republican leader has decided to circumvent the Committee.  Recently The New York Times included an editorial entitled “Immigration’s Moment,” in which it quite rightly noted that this is a “pivotal week in the search for answers for the nation’s immigration problems.”  This is the pivotal day and pivotal morning in that search.  I ask that a copy of that editorial be included in the record. 

Mr. Chairman, I hope that this morning we follow through on the discussion we signaled and began at our earlier meetings.  You said, and I believe you, that you do not want to create a permanent underclass.  Many of us have spoken about the need to bring people out of the shadows.  Today is the day for us to amend the Committee bill to make those purposes a reality, for Republicans and Democrats to join together in achieving that goal.  Thousands are watching and listening, and thousands more depend on our following through on those commitments.

# # # # #