Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007

Floor Speech

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - May 24, 2007)

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The amendment (No. 1190), as modified, was agreed to.

Mr. McCAIN. I thank the bill managers for agreeing to accept this amendment, which I am pleased to be joined in sponsoring with Senator Graham.

As my colleagues will hear throughout this debate, the bipartisan group of Members who developed this legislation, along with representatives of the administration, worked to develop this comprehensive reform measure with the foremost goal of developing a proposal that can be enacted this year. It is not a bill on which we are just ``going through the motions.'' Like any legislation on an expansive issue like immigration reform, this is a complex
compromise agreement, and that means that while perhaps no one is entirely happy with every single provision in the bill, we believe it provides a solid foundation for this floor debate. It is a serious proposal to address a very serious problem.

When Senator Kennedy and I first proposed legislation in May 2005, it included, among other things, a series of strict requirements that the undocumented population would have to fulfill before being allowed to get in the back of the line and apply for adjustment of legal status. One of those provisions failed to be part of the consensus before us today due to concerns raised with respect to practicality. That provision required the undocumented to pay any back-taxes owed as a result of their time living and working in our country illegally.

I strongly believe everyone living and working in our country has an obligation to meet all tax obligations, regardless of convenience or practicality. Yes, requiring any undocumented immigrant to prove he or she has met their tax obligations will take manpower. After all, we are talking about as many as 12 million people. Undocumented immigrants will most likely have to find and submit plenty of paperwork to prove they have met their obligations. But that is what citizens here do. We pay our taxes. We may complain, but we pay our taxes. And while I don't doubt that it may be a difficult undertaking to require as a condition of receiving permanent status in the United States the payment of back-taxes, that isn't a good reason to toss the requirement aside. If an undocumented immigrant is willing to meet the many stringent requirements we are calling for under this bill, and I think they will be willing, including learning English and civics, paying hefty fines, and clearing background checks, that person should also have to prove their tax obligations have been fulfilled prior to adjusting their status.

Again, I thank the bill managers and urge the adoption of this amendment.

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