Arlen Specter: Senator Specter Speaks On Immigration

June 28th, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following remarks at a press conference regarding S. 1689, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007. The U.S. Senate failed to adopt a procedural motion to conclude debate on the bill by a vote of 46 to 53.

Below is a copy of Senator Specter’s remarks:

We were disappointed with the vote this morning, but we understand the complexities of the issue, and we understand the concerns that were expressed by many senators during the course of the extended debate. There remains an understanding of a very serious problem with our borders, a very serious problem with enforcing the rule of law, a need for the United States to have guest workers, immigrant workers, and the ongoing problems as to how to handle twelve million undocumented immigrants. We’re concerned about the criminal element there. We’re concerned about the terrorist potential, and the national security issue. We are also concerned about the lives of these 12 million people will lead, where they are the, as the expression goes, in the shadows, living here. We have to find some way to deal with that which is realistic. The complaint of amnesty was raised repeatedly. But they will remain here whether we pass an immigration bill or not. And it has accurately been described as ‘silent amnesty’ if we do nothing, also accurately described as anarchy, so the problem remains. We will now wait to see what suggestions will come forward from the Senate. I think they have a duty to come forward and give us their best ideas as to how we handle the situation. We are not unused to legislative efforts which are not successful. Some legislation takes many years. It took us a long time to get asbestos legislation out of committee, something we are still working on. So we are not unused to the bumps in the road, and we consider it just a bump in the road, and we’re going to continue to travel the road.

I want to thank the President for his leadership and his initiative. I think President Bush did everything he could. He asked Secretary Michael Chertoff and Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, homeland security and commerce, had spent days and days and days. If we started to count up the hours that we all spent, they are enormous. The contribution of the administration was gigantic, so we will live to fight another day.

We backed the Minority by voting against cloture to allow our Republican colleagues to offer amendments. Then we had a protracted period of time on the Senate floor where they had a chance to offer amendments, and wouldn’t offer amendments, and wouldn’t let anybody else to offer amendments. With a limited time that’s available, the procedure was constructed as it was. Everybody had a full opportunity. When they said they weren’t allowed into the conference, that’s not true. Senator Sessions and I had a discussion on the Senate floor about that and anybody who wanted to come in could do so. Senator Sessions said, well, “I didn’t want to give up my independence.” There were Senators who came in, made suggestions, and had their ideas carried out. Senator Menendez, illustratively. And it was against the bill. So it was an open house all the way along. We did our utmost to be good with everybody, and I think we were fair. If you put a balance on it, we were actually even more fair.

Source: Senator Arlen Specter