WASHINGTON, DC- After voting for a procedural motion today to continue the debate on immigration, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement:
“For the second year in a row, the Congress has buried its head in the sand on illegal immigration. Ignoring this issue will not make the problem go away
“I voted for cloture today because I believe that we have to deal with illegal immigration in our country and do so now. Those who voted to end the process today have ensured that the status quo will continue for the foreseeable future. And what is the status quo?
12 million illegal immigrants in the United States today with thousands more coming every day;
No serious enforcement and inadequate funding for the enforcement efforts we do have;
No real border security
No enforcement against employers who routinely and knowingly hire illegal workers;
No plan to identify or deal with 12 million illegal immigrants or their children, many of whom are U.S. citizens.
“This problem did not happen overnight. It has grown over years through lax enforcement by the Bush Administration and the refusal by Congress to face the issue and deal with it in a comprehensive manner. “The legislation before the Senate is not perfect. In fact, it is in the middle of an extensive amendment process. But that doesn’t mean we can simply stop working to fix our immigration system before we even take a final vote. “The American public should realize that the result of the vote against cloture today is to maintain the status quo. And the status quo is de facto amnesty, bordering on anarchy.”
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